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THE LIFE AND LETTERS 

Madame Bonaparte 



EUGENE LiDIDIER 



WITH A PORTRAIT FROM THE STUDIES BY 
GILBERT STUART 






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NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

743 and 745 Broadway 

1879 



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Copyright, 1879, by 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. 



[All Rights Reserved. - ] 



Trow's 

Printing and Bookbinding Co., 

205-213 East z2.tk St., 

NEW YORK. 



PREFACE 



The long, eventful and romantic career of 
Madame Bonaparte made her one of the most 
famous women of the country. Her remarkable 
history covers a period of ninety-four years. Born 
four years before the organization of the United 
States government by the original Thirteen States, 
she lived to see the Union composed of thirty- 
eight States, with a population of nearly fifty mil- 
lions. At the time of her birth, Baltimore was a 
small town of little more than four thousand in- 
habitants ; she lived to see it a large city of little 
less than four hundred thousand. Born the 
daughter of a Baltimore merchant, Elizabeth Pat- 
terson became, by her marriage with Jerome 
Bonaparte, the sister-in-law of the Emperor 
Napoleon and the half-dozen kings and queens 
whom the French Caesar placed upon the thrones 
of Europe. In all respects the equal, and in some 



Vlll PREFACE. 

the superior of those thus favored, Napoleon 

nevertheless excluded her from the imperial 

court ; yet, after the Emperor's final downfall, 

there remained for her a social career in Europe, 

the brilliancy of which has hitherto been but 

vaguely described. The recent discovery of her 

letters, written to her father during this period 

of her social success — when beauties envied her 

beauty and wits dreaded her wit, when kings 

sought her acquaintance and princes claimed her 

friendship — will enable us to give to the world 

the true story of the most brilliant years of this 

remarkable woman's life. Her letters display an 

amazing knowledge of the world, a keen analysis 

of men's motives, and an eager pursuit of worldly 

honors. This Baltimore girl, married at eighteen 

and deserted at twenty, seems to have possessed 

the savoir vivre of Chesterfield, the cold cynicism 

of Rochefoucauld, and the practical economy of 

Franklin. 

EUGENE L. DIDIER. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Patterson Family.— William Patterson, the Father of Mme. Bona- 
parte. — Childhood and Youth of Elizabeth Patterson. — Jerome 
Bonaparte visits the United States. — His First Meeting with Miss 
Patterson. — Their Engagement and Marriage. — Opposition of Na- 
poleon. — Jerome ordered back to France without his Wife — His 
Hesitation I 

CHAPTER II. 
Napoleon is proclaimed Emperor. — Formation of the Imperial Court. — 
Monsieur Jerome is excluded from the Imperial Dynasty. — Mon- 
sieur and Madame Bonaparte spend the Winter of 1805 in Baltimore. 
— A Brilliant Season. — They sail for Europe — Arrival at Lisbon. — 
Madame Bonaparte not allowed to land. — Jerome leaves her and 
goes to meet Napoleon. — The Emperor at first refuses to see his 
Brother. — He declares his Marriage null, and says he will never ac- 
knowledge it. — Madame Bonaparte sails for Amsterdam. — She ar- 
rives in the Texel Roads and is ordered off. — She goes to England. 
— Birth of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte. — Mme. Bonaparte returns 
to the United States. — Napoleon applies to the Pope for a Bull 
divorcing Jerome from his Wife. — The Pope's Refusal 23 

CHAPTER III. 
Madame Bonaparte's disappointed Ambition. — Jerome's perfidy con- -^ 
firmed by his Marriage with the Princess of Wiirtemberg. — Madame 
Bonaparte's Residence in Baltimore. — The Stuart Portrait. — The 
Course of Events in France. — Madame Bonaparte again visits Eu- 
rope. — Her Letters from England and France, 1806-1816 37 

CHAPTER IV. 
Madame Bonaparte returns to America. — Her Third Visit to Europe. — 
Pauline Bonaparte. — John Jacob Astor. — An Invitation by the 
Princess Borghese to visit Italy. — 1819-20 53 

CHAPTER V. 
Madame Bonaparte's Life in Geneva. — Lady Morgan. — Madame Mere.— 
Joseph Bonaparte. — The Princess Borghese and Mr. Astor. — 
Madame Bonaparte in Rome. — Kind Reception. — Proposed Mar- 
riage of Jerome to his Cousin Charlotte. — The ex-King of West- 
phalia. — Pauline Bonaparte. — 1820 67 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VI. 

PAGE 

Letters from Rome. — Kind Words, but no Money, from the Bonaparte 
Family. — The Matrimonial Speculation for Jerome. — The Match is 
approved by all of the Family. — Jerome returns- to America. — Let- 
ter from William Patterson upon the Subject of the Marriage. — The 
Caprices of the Princess Borghese. — Madame Bonaparte's Anxiety 
about her Son. — She visits Florence. — Last Meeting with her Hus- 
band. — Letters from Paris. — 1822 86 

CHAPTER VII. 

Jerome's proposed Marriage abandoned. — Charlotte Bonaparte. — Achille 
Murat. — Mme. Bonaparte returns to Geneva. — Her Letters from 
that City during the Autumn of 1822. — Reported Death of Madame 
Mere. — Jerome's Religious Belief. — Mme. Bonaparte's Literary 
Friends. — Lamartine. — Mme. de Genlis. — Lady Morgan. — Mme. 
Bonaparte's Affection for her Son. — Tom Moore. — Wellington. — A 
French Widow's Sorrow. — Mme. Bonaparte's Views of Matrimony. 
—1822 107 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Mme. Bonaparte's Idea of her Son's Rank. — American and European 
Marriages. — Madame Mere's Will. — Mme. Bonaparte's Disappoint- 
ment at her forgetting Jerome. — Geneva Boarding-Houses. — Meat 
and Vegetables versus Mont Blanc et le Lac de Geneve. — The En- 
nui of Life. — Letters to Lady Morgan. — "So melancholy, that I 
wished myself dead a thousand times." — Sismondi. — Miss Edge- 
worth. — 1823 121 

CHAPTER IX. 

Mme Bonaparte, Napoleon, and Byron. — Albert Galatin. — Letters from 
Paris. — Extravagance of the Baltimore Merchants.— Robert Morris. 
— Mme. Bonaparte makes a Will. — Reports of her second Marriage.— 
Love in a Cottage. — She hopes Jerome will escape all Matrimonial 
Snares. — He must distinguish himself in Life. — She is pleased with 
his Diligence at College, but displeased with the Expense of his 
Education. — Jerome offers to reduce his Expenses. — Mme. Bonaparte 
deplores the Solitude of a Single Life.— John Jacob Astor.— Miss 
Astor.— Sismondi.— The Waverley Novels.— 1823 133 

CHAPTER X. 

lerome and his Father.— The Former defends himself from the Charge of 
Extravagance at College. — Madame Bonaparte returns to America. 
— She shares Jerome's Rustication at Lancaster during his Suspen- 
sion. — The Emperor of Russia and the ex-King of Westphalia. — 
Madame Bonaparte to Lady Morgan. — America a Region of ennui. — 



CONTENTS. XI 

PAGB 

The Men all Merchants, the Women all Housekeepers and Nurses. — 
The Dulness of Baltimore. — The Stupidity of its Inhabitants. — Ma- 
dame Bonaparte sighs for European Society, while Motives of 
Economy detain her in Baltimore. — Lafayette. — Madame Bonaparte 
again visits Europe. — Her Residence in Havre. — The Catons. — Mr. 
Brown, the American Minister to France. — Another Scheme for 
marrying Jerome. — His Views on the Subject of Matrimony. — Mr. 
Patterson's Advice to Jerome. — 1824-5 ♦ J 53 

CHAPTER XI. 

Madame Bonaparte at Havre. — Lafayette. — The Marchioness of Welles- 
ley. — Byron. — Madame Bonaparte at Paris. — Death of Pauline, Prin- 
cess Borghese. — Letter to Lady Morgan. — Madame Bonaparte sends 
for Jerome to visit Italy. — Miss Astor. — The Marquis of Wellesley. 
— Letter from Prince Jerome to his Son. — 1825-6 166 

CHAPTER XII. 

Jerome joins his Mother in Europe. — They visit Lausanne, Geneva, and 
the Baths of Aix in Savoy. — Letter from Aix. — " Poor People have 
no Friends." — Looking after Legacies for Jerome. — Cardinal Fesch. 
— Young Napoleon. — " Marrying for Idleness " and " Bringing Beg- 
gars into the World." — Money covers more Faults than Charity. — 
Letter from Madame Mere to Jerome. — Louis Bonaparte. — Madame 
Bonaparte's unfavorable Opinion of her Husband's Family. — Prin- 
cess Charlotte. — Joseph's Fortune. — Jerome meets his Father. — 
Affectionate Reception from all the Family. — Letters from Florence. 
—1826 181 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Madame Bonaparte in Florence. — Jerome's Patriotism. — The enormous 
Debts of the Bonaparte Family. — The " Pet Son." — Madame Bona- 
parte at the Court of Tuscany. — Honored by the Grand Duke. — 
Prince Jerome's Extravagance. — The Carnival at Rome. — Jerome 
returns to America. — Madame Bonaparte " feels age coming on." — 
The Russian Ambassador at Florence. — Death of Prince Demidoff. — 
His Will. — Charles Bonaparte. — A new Plan for Jerome. — The 
American Duchess. — 1827-8 196 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Announcement of Jerome's Engagement. — Mme. Bonaparte's Op- 
position. — Congratulatory Letters from the Bonaparte Family. — 
Jerome's Marriage. — Congratulatory Letter from Princess Charlotte 
Bonaparte. — Characteristic Letter from Mme. Bonaparte. — The 
Grave preferable to Baltimore. — Mme. Bonaparte threatens to spend 
her Income. — The Americans in Europe. — Mme. Bonaparte makes 
her Will. — Jerome's Allowance is discontinued. — 1829-30 212 



Xll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XV. 

Birth of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, Jr.— Congratulations from the 
Family. — Kind Words.— Mme. Bonaparte and Gortschakofi — Lamar- ; 
tine. — Her Departure from Florence. — Letter from Geneva. — Fi- 
nancial Affairs.— Princess Galitzin.— Mme. Bonaparte's Jewels. — 
Dying of Ennui— ." I am tired of Life.''— Mme. Bonaparte and Mr. 
Dundas.— Countess Guiccioli.— Letter from Paris.— Duchess d'Ab- 
rantes.— Letter from Mr. Patterson.— At Home Again.— 1831-33 229 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Madame Bonaparte's Return to America.— Foreign Finery.— Her Ma- 
ture Beauty.— Death of William Patterson.— His Singular Will.— His ' 
Costume and Literary Taste. — Madame Bonaparte revisits Europe. 
—Letter to Lady Morgan.— Solitary Life in Paris.— Death of Cardi- 
nal Fesch, also of the Princess Charlotte and the Duchess d'Abran- 
tes. — Count Demidoff and the Princess Mathilde. — Madame Bona- 
parte at the Springs.— Her Brilliant Conversation.— 1834-48 243 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The French Revolution of 1848. — Napoleon III. — Letter to Lady Mor- 
gan. — Madame Bonaparte announces herself an Imperial Bonapartist 
and hopes the Prince President may become Emperor. — Her Views 
of Republics. — Her Obscure Life in Baltimore. — Her Fortune. — 
Chateaubriand. — Letter of Jerome Bonaparte to Napoleon III. — The 
Emperor's Reply. — Mr. Bonaparte visits France. — He dines with the 
Emperor. — He is declared a Legitimate Son of France. — Opposition 
of his Father. — He resigns his American Citizenship. — Another Let- 
ter from the Emperor. — He proposes to create Mr. Bonaparte Duke 
of Sartene. — Prince Napoleon opposes the Advance of his Brother. — 
Decision of Legitimacy from the French Court, but Deprivation of 
Imperial Rank. — Mr. Bonaparte's Indignant Letter to the Emperor. 
— Death of Prince Jerome, ex-King of Westphalia. — His Will. — \ 

Madame Bonaparte claims the Fulfilment of her Marriage Contract. 
— Eloquent Appeal of Berryer. — Madame Bonaparte loses her Case. — 
1848-60 251 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Madame Bonaparte's Last Days in Baltimore. — European Reminiscences. 
— Her Fortune and how it was accumulated. — Her Business Habits. — 
Her Parsimony. — Generosity to Relatives. — Her Regular Life. — Her 
Beauty and Vanity. — Anecdotes at the Springs. — Her Religious 
Views. — Her Carpet-bag. — Her Trunks of Ancient Finery. — Her In- 
terest in European Politics. — Marshal Bertrand. — Napoleon regrets 
the Shadow he casts upon Madame Bonaparte. — Her last Illness and 
Death.— Her Funeral.— Her Will.— 1861-1879 261 



THE LIFE AND LI 7717.5 



Madame Bonaparte 



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THE LIFE AND LETTERS 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Patterson Family. — William Patterson, the Father of -Mme. Bonaparte. — 
Childhood and Youth of Elizabeth Patterson. — Jerome Bonaparte visits 
the United States. — His First Meeting with Miss Patterson. — Their En- 
gagement and Marriage. — Opposition of Napoleon. — Jerome ordered 
back to France without his Wife. — His Hesitation. 

William Patterson, the founder of the Patterson 
family of Baltimore and the father of Madame Bona- 
parte, was born in the county of Donegal, Ireland, on 
the first of November, 1752. His father was a small 
farmer with a large family ; his mother was Elizabeth 
Peoples ; and they were both descended from a mixture 
of English and Scotch families that had settled in Ire- 
land after the conquest of that country. After a plain 
education, William was sent by his parents to Philadel- 
phia when but fourteen years old. He arrived in that 
city in the month of April, 1766, and entered the count- 



2 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

ing-house of an Irish shipping merchant. The industry 
of the young clerk was remarkable ; early and late he 
was at his post, acquiring those methodical habits of 
business and that spirit of commercial enterprise which 
distinguished him through life. This penniless and 
homeless boy was to become one of the merchant 
princes of America, and the friend of Washington, La 
Fayette, Carroll, and Jefferson. 

By the time he reached his majority he was estab- 
lished in business for himself, and in a few years was 
recognized as one of the rising young merchants of the 
country. At the beginning of the American Revolution 
he was actively engaged in the shipping business in 
Philadelphia, with an extensive European and West 
India trade. With that keen business tact and enter- 
prising spirit which never failed him, he put all his for- 
tune into two vessels, which he loaded with suitable 
cargoes and despatched to France, investing the pro- 
ceeds in arms and ammunition, which he saw would be 
required for carrying on the war of Independence. He 
embarked on one of the vessels himself, and on his re- 
- turn stopped at the island of St. Eustatius in the month 
of February, 1776. He was persuaded to remain there 
for the purpose of collecting war material to be shipped 
to America, and sent his vessel forward to Philadelphia, 
where it arrived in March. The valuable cargo of pow- 
. der was just in time, for Washington's army was be- 
'-- fore Boston and had hardly sufficient ammunition to fire 
even a salute. This was the first of a number of similar 
successful ventures, and the name of William Patterson 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 3 

soon became a familiar one both in the American army 
and in Congress. 

After remaining at St. Eustatius eighteen months, he 
found that the Dutch government, however willing, was 
not able to protect the American trade against the 
British, and he removed to Martinique in the autumn 
of 1777. Here he continued for a few months the 
business so successfully begun at St. Eustatius ; but in 
the summer of 1778 he prepared to return home. He 
sailed about the last of June with a small fleet, and 
arrived in Baltimore in July, bringing with him, as the 
result of two years' commercial speculation, one hundred 
thousand dollars in gold and merchandise. One-half 
of this sum was invested in real estate in the rising 
town where he was now permanently established. This 
property, together with all subsequent purchases of real 
estate in the city of Baltimore and in the State of Mary- 
land, Mr. Patterson retained until his death ; for he 
made it an invariable rule never to speculate in land, 
but to buy only for safe investment. The other half of 
the amount brought from the West Indies — fifty thou- 
sand dollars — he put into the shipping business, and 
soon became the leading merchant of the place, and, in 
a few years, the wealthiest citizen of the State — perhaps 
of the United States — except Charles Carroll of Carroll- 
ton.'* As soon as he made money he invested it in real 
estate, and at the time of his death, in 1835, he was 
one of the largest real estate owners in Maryland. 

* So .stated in a letter from Jefferson to Livingston, 1804. 



4 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Soon after establishing himself in Baltimore, Mr. Pat- 
terson married Dorcas Spear, a lady of high social posi- 
tion, and a fair representative of the Maryland women 
of her day ; and from this time he rarely left his home 
and business. 

u I always considered it a duty to my family," he 
said, toward the close of his long life, "to keep them 
as much as possible under my own eye, so that I have 
seldom in my life left Baltimore, either on pleasure or 
business. Ever since I had a house it has been my in- 
variable rule to be the last up at night, and to see that 
the fires and light were secured before I retired myself, 
from which I found little risk from fires and managed to 
have my family keep regular hours. What I possess is 
solely the product of my own labor. I inherited nothing 
of my forefathers, nor have I benefited anything from 
public favors or appointments." 

In the same reminiscences he referred also to the fact 
that he had rarely undertaken public duties : "I have 
never sought for offices of honor or profit, and when I 
have in any way acted in a public capacity, it was from 
the consideration that every citizen should contribute 
more or less to the good of society when he can do it 
without too much loss or inconvenience to himself." 
The few such offices he held were generally of a charac- 
ter fitted to his peculiar talents. When the Bank of 
Maryland was established at Baltimore, in 1790 — the 
first bank ever chartered south of Philadelphia — William 
Patterson was chosen its first president. When, during 
the war of 1812, a committee of supplies was formed 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 5 

j 

for the protection of Baltimore, then threatened by 
British invasion, he was appointed a member of it, and 
worked zealously and effectively. Finally, when the 
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered, William 
Patterson was appointed one of its first directors, and 
although then in his eightieth year, he took an active 
part in the affairs of the company which did so much in 
developing Baltimore's commercial prosperity. 

This outline of her father's life shows us in what posi- 
tion and under what influences Elizabeth Patterson 
passed* he» childhood. She was born on the sixth of 
February, 1785. Even as a young girl she displayed 
that extraordinary beauty, wit, and fascination of man- 
ner which was destined to make her life so strange, in- 
teresting, and romantic. She was educated chiefly by 
ner mother, and from the beginning showed great natu- 
ral gifts, especially an unusually retentive memory. 
When only ten years old she was familiar with the best 
English poetry, and could repeat by heart her favorite 
books, Young's " Night Thoughts" and Rochefou- 
cauld's " Maxims." Mr. Patterson's position made his 
daughter sure of success as soon as she appeared in 
general society, even without her growing reputation for 
wit and beauty ; and by the time she was eighteen, Eliz- 
abeth Patterson was a recognized belle of Baltimore — • 
the most beautiful woman in a city always famous for its 
beautiful women. But, beautiful as she was and great 
as was her local celebrity, who could have imagined the 
astonishing career that was before her ? It was hardly 
possible to conceive that this young girl, who had never 



6 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

left her father's home, was destined by her suddenly de- 
veloped ambition to disturb the plans of the greatest 
conqueror of modern times, to produce a rupture be- 
tween a pope and an emperor — destined, though a 
deserted wife, to become a brilliant leader at foreign 
courts, to eclipse the most renowned beauties, and to 
excel the greatest wits. Yet this destiny, impossible as 
it seemed, was already opening before her. 

In the summer of 1803, Jerome Bonaparte landed at 
New York, where honors of every kind were lavished upon 
the young brother of the First Consul of France. Upon 
hearing of Jerome's arrival in the United States, Com- 
modore Joshua Barney, who had a year or two before 
been in the French navy and served with Captain Bona- 
parte in the West Indies, invited him to visit Baltimore. 
The invitation was accepted, and in September the 
young officer arrived there with his suite. The commo- 
dore not only entertained his visitor at his own house, 
but made him the lion of the day in general society. 
The leading people of the city made him their guest, 
and he was present at every form of entertainment. 

It was at the fall races that Jerome saw, for the first 
time, Miss Elizabeth Patterson, then in all the early 
bloom of her wonderful beauty. The impulsive young 
Frenchman was fired at once. He declared, enthusias- 
tically, that he had never beheld so lovely a being be- 
fore. A few days afterward he was introduced to her 
at the house of the Honorable Samuel Chase, one of the 
Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence, 
and Commodore Barney's father-in-law. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. J 

Jerome soon became madly in love with the fascinat- 
ing girl, and, forgetting France, Napoleon, future pros- 
pects and all else, determined to marry her. The 
young lady, dazzled by so brilliant an alliance, was 
equally eager for the match, and in a few weeks after 
their first acquaintance Captain Bonaparte and Elizabeth 
Patterson were engaged. Mr. Patterson, who knew 
that young Bonaparte was a minor, entirely dependent 
upon his brother, the First Consul, saw the great risk 
his daughter would run by marrying a Frenchman under 
the legal age, without the consent of his legal guardians. 
Theiefore, in order to break off the engagement quietly 
and without violence, he sent his daughter to Virginia, 
hoping that absence would conquer the sudden affection 
of the young lovers. But the experiment was useless. 
After a short visit Elizabeth returned to Baltimore, the 
acquaintance was immediately renewed, and on the 29th 
of October, 1803, a license was obtained from the Balti- 
more County Court for the young couple's marriage. 

In less than a week after the issuing of the license, a 
warning letter was sent to Mr. Patterson, informing him 
that Captain Bonaparte only wanted to secure a home 
for himself until he could return to France, when he will 
be the first " to turn your daughter off, and laugh at 
her credulity." 

This had its effect, and he once more used his author- 
ity to break off the engagement — but this time again 
without success. In spite of the warning of friends, in 
spite of the remonstrance of her father, Miss Patterson 
had determined to marry, declaring that "she would 



8 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

rather be the wife of Jerome Bonaparte for an hour, 
than the wife of any other man for life." 

Finding her so resolute in the matter, Mr. Patterson at 
length gave a reluctant consent. He took all the neces- 
sary precautions to give the union both a religious and 
official sanction. The ceremony took place on Christ- 
mas eve, 1803, and was performed by the Right Reverend 
John Carroll,. Bishop of Baltimore, afterward Archbishop, 
and the first Primate of the Catholic Church in America. 
The marriage contract* was drawn up by Alexander J. 
Dallas, who was afterward Secretary of the Treasury, 
and the wedding was witnessed by M. Sotin, the French 
Consul at Baltimore, by Alexander Le Camus, Jerome's 
secretary and afterward Minister of Foreign Affairs of 
the kingdom of Westphalia, by the Mayor of Baltimore, 
and other leading citizens. A gentleman who was pres- 
ent on the occasion said : " All the clothes worn by the 
bride might have been put in my pocket. Her dress 
was of muslin, richly embroidered, of extremely fine tex- 
ture. Beneath her dress she wore but a single garment." 



* The following extracts from the marriage contract establish the fact that 
the Patterson family looked for possible trouble from the union : 

" Article I. — In case of any difficulty being raised relative to the validity 
of the said marriage either in the State of Maryland or the French Republic, 
the said Jerome Bonaparte engages, at the request of the said Elizabeth Pat- 
terson and the said William Patterson, or either of them, to execute any deed 
necessary to remove the difficulty, and to confer on the said union all the 
character of a valid and perfect marriage according to the respective laws of 
the State of Maryland and of the French Republic. 

" Art. IV. — That if the marriage should be annulled either on demand of 
the said Jerome Bonaparte or that of any member of his family, the said 
Elizabeth Patterson shall have a right in any case to one-third of the real, 
personal, and mixed property of her future husband." 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 9 

Shortly after his marriage, Jerome and his wife visited 
Washington, where they were entertained by General 
Turreau, the French Minister, and enjoyed for several 
weeks the gayety of the national capital ; later they 
made a long tour to the Northern and Eastern States, 
and in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Albany, and 
elsewhere, met with one continual round of hospitality 
and brilliant entertainment. 

On the ioth of February, 1804, Mr. Patterson ad- 
dressed a letter to the Honorable Robert R. Livingston, 
American Minister to France, upon the subject of the 
marriage; from the following extract it will be seen 
what view he took of it : 

. . . . " I can assure you with truth, that I never, directly 6r 
indirectly, countenanced or gave Mr. Bonaparte the smallest en- 
couragement to address my daughter ; but, on the contrary, resist- 
ed his pretensions by every means in my power consistent with 
discretion. Finding, however, that the mutual attachment they 
had formed for each other was such that nothing short of force and 
violence could prevent their union, I with much reluctance con- 
sented to their wishes." 

He goes on to say that, the marriage having taken 
place, it was his duty, as well as his inclination, to pro- 
tect the interests of his daughter, and to endeavor to 
reconcile the Bonaparte family to the match. With 
this view, he asks Mr. Livingston to furnish the First 
Consul with copies of letters on the subject written to 
Mr. Livingston, by the President of the United States 
and the Secretary of State at Washington. He begs 
the Minister to advise him of the result of his communi- 



10 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

cations with the Bonaparte family, and whether the 
marriage will meet with their approbation or not. 

Nor were letters the only means which he employed. 
To watch over his daughter's interests, Mr. Patterson 
soon after despatched his son, Robert, to France, The 
trouble anticipated by the anxious father was not long 
in coming. Even during the bridal tour alarming news 
arrived. Robert Patterson reached Paris on the nth of 
March, 1804. On the next day, he informed his father 
that immediately upon his arrival he had waited upon 
the American Minister, who was using every exertion to 
reconcile the First Consul to Jerome's marriage, but that 
Napoleon was highly incensed with his brother. Robert 
went on to say that for the present it would be much 
better for Jerome to remain in America ; but that, if he 
should decide to return to France, his wife should by all 
means accompany him. The result of the interview 
with Mr. Livingston was, he said, "of an alarming and 
desponding nature." 

In passing through London, on his way to Paris, 
Robert had obtained letters of introduction from Miss 
Monroe, the daughter of James Monroe, who was at 
that time American Minister to England, to Madame 
Louis Bonaparte, who had been Miss Monroe's school- 
mate at Madame Campan's Academy, at Paris. The 
latter was a sister of M. ^enet, who had been Minister 
of the French Republic to the United States during the 
administration of Washington, and married the daugh- 
ter of De Witt Clinton. Madame Campan was on very 
intimate terms with the family of the First Consul, and 



MADAME BONAPARTE. II 

it was expected that her influence would be useful in 
favor of Madame Jerome Bonaparte. 

Among the friends of the Patterson family at that 
time in Paris was Captain Paul Bentalou, of Baltimore, 
who had served with distinction in Count Pulaski's le- 
gion of cavalry during the American Revolution. This 
gentleman acted as interpreter in the interview between 
Robert Patterson and Lucien Bonaparte, which took 
place on the 14th of March, 1804. 

"Tell Mr. Patterson," said Lucien, " and let his 
father know, that our mother, myself, and the whole 
family, with one voice and as heartily as I do, highly 
approve of the match. The Consul, it is true, does not 
for the present concur with us, but he is to be considered 
as isolated from the family. Placed on the lofty ground 
on which he stands as the first magistrate of a great and 
powerful nation, all his actions and ideas are directed by 
a policy with which we have nothing to do. We still 
remain plain citizens, and as such, from all we have 
learned of the young lady's character and the respecta- 
bility of her friends, we feel highly gratified with the 
connection. They should not in the least be hurt by 
the displeasure of the Consul. I myself, although of 
an age to be my own master, and occupying distin- 
guished places under the Government, I have also, by 
my late marriage, incurred his displeasure, so that Jerome 
is not alone. But as, when we marry, we are to con- 
sult our own happiness and not that of another, it 
matters not who else is or is not to be displeased. Our 
present earnest wish is that Jerome may remain where 



12 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

he now is, and take the proper steps to become as soon 
as possible a citizen of the United States." Here Capt. 
Bentalou informed Lucien that Jerome would have to 
swear fidelity to the United States and renounce all 
titles of nobility. 

" Very well," Lucien retorted, "Jerome must do all 
that ; he must go through that novitiate. The dignified 
attainment of the citizenship of the United States is well 
worth it. His situation is much preferable to ours. We 
are yet on a tempestuous sea, and he is safely moored in 
a safer and incomparably happier harbor. He must 
positively change his mode of living, and must not, as 
he has hitherto done, act the part of a prince of royal 
blood ; must not think himself anything more than he 
really is, and to strive as soon as possible to assimilate 
himself to the plain and uncorrupted manners of your 
incomparable nation, of which we shall all rejoice to see 
him a worthy member. We are now making arrange- 
ments to provide genteelly for him. We wish him to 
live on equal footing with your most respectable citizens, 
but never beyond any of them.'' 

With the view of establishing Jerome in the United 
States, an income of twenty thousand dollars a year 
was mentioned as a suitable allowance, while a town 
and country residence were contemplated. 

In a letter written subsequent to this interview, 
Robert Patterson spoke of Lucien as a man of firm and 
decided character, who thought and acted independently, 
and gave as his (Robert's) opinion that the "consular 
recognition or disavowal of the marriage would be deter- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 3 

mined by future occurrences — that much would depend 
on Jerome, and if he acted the part of an honorable man, 
all would go right." In conclusion he says : " It is the 
duty of my sister, as a wife, to retain and increase the 
affection of her husband ; and her exertions ought, if 
possible, to be doubled from the peculiarity of her situ- 
ation." 

During all this time Napoleon had remained silent. 
At length he spoke, and to the purpose. On the 20th 
of April, 1804, M. Dacres, French Minister of Marine, 
by order of the First Consul, directed M. Pichon, the 
Consul-General of France in New York, that no money 
should be advanced on the order of the Citizen Jerome. 
The letter said : 

" Jerome has received orders, in his capacity of lieutenant of the 
fleet, to come back to France by the first French frigate returning 
thither ; and the execution of this order, on which the First Con- 
sul insists in the most positive manner, can alone regain him his 
affection. But what the First Consul has prescribed for me, above 
everything, is to order you to prohibit all captains of French ves- 
sels from receiving on board the young person to whom the Citizen 
Jerome has connected himself, it being his intention that she shah 
by no means come into France, and his will that, should she ar- 
rive, she be suffered not to land, but be sent immediately back to the 
United States ." 

Jerome should be urged, the letter continued, not to 
lose the opportunity of pursuing a glorious career, by 
acting in opposition to the wishes of the hero to whom 
he had the honor to be related ; that while Napoleon 
exalted and honored those of his family who partici- 
pated in his own elevated sentiments, he treated with 



14 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

cold indifference those who dared to act independently 
of him. 

M. Dacres goes on to say that the First Consul was 
indignant at the effeminate conduct of his brothers and 
the obstacles they threw in his way. He then alludes 
to Lucien's recent marriage : " Citizen Lucien, with the 
reputation of pastxonduct and a fortune perfectly inde- 
pendent, has formed connections repugnant to the views 
of the First Consul ; and the consequence is that he has 
just quitted France, and that, obliged to abandon the 
theatre of the glory of his own family, he has exiled 
himself to Rome, where he becomes the simple specta- 
tor of the destinies of his august brother and of the em- 
pire." .... 

"Jerome is wrong," said Napoleon to Dacres, "to 
fancy that he will find in me affections that will yield to 
his weakness. Sole fabricator of my destiny ', I owe noth- 
ing to my brothers. In what I have done for glory, they 
have found means to reap for themselves an abundant 
harvest; but they must not on that account abandon 
the field when there is something still to be reaped. 
They must not leave me isolated and deprived of the aid 
and services which I have a right to expect from them. 
If I completely abandon him who in maturer years has 
thought proper to withdraw himself from my direction, 
what has Jerome to expect ? So young as yet, and only 
known by his forgetfulness of his duties, assuredly if he 
does nothing for me I see in it the decree of fate which 
has determined that I ought to do nothing for him." 

M. Pichon was instructed to warn Jerome not to 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 15 

bring back with him "the young person to whom he 
had attached himself." If he loved her, as he protested 
he did, he must learn, for her sake, to leave her and 
share the fortunes of his brother. " Be her accomplish- 
ments what they may, they would produce no effect 
upon the fixed determination of the First Consul not to 
receive her. The order has been issued to prevent her 
from landing, and it will not be revoked." 

On the same day M. Dacres addressed a letter to 
Jerome himself, in which he urged him to return to 
France without delay. He appealed to him in the name 
of their early military association — of the dangers and 
the glory they had once shared together. He endeav- 
ored to enkindle again in the heart of the young man 
the love of military glory with which the genius of Na- 
poleon had covered the name of Bonaparte. " War is 
going on," said the letter, " and you are quiet and in 
peace at a distance of twelve hundred leagues from the 
stage on which you ought to be acting a great part. . . . 
How will men recognize in you the brother of the 
Regulator of Europe ? In what temper of mind will 
you find that brother, who, eager after glory, will see 
you destitute even of that of having encountered dan- 
gers — and who, convinced that all France would shed 
its blood for him, would only see in you a man without 
energy, yielding to effeminate passions, and having not 
a single leaf to add to the heaps of laurels with which 
he invests his name and our standards ? " 

On one condition only would Napoleon forgive him. 
'* 1 wili receive Jerome," said the First Consul, " if, leav- 



l6 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

ing in America the young person in question, he shall 
come hither to associate himself with my fortunes. 
Should he bring her along with him, she shall not put a 
foot on the territory of France. If he comes alone, I 
shall forgive the error of a moment, and the fault of 
youth. Faithful services, and the conduct which he 
owes to himself and to his name, will regain him all 
my kindness." 

Following these letters came this enactment of the 
French Senate : 

" By an act of the nth Ventose, all the civil officers of the em- 
pire are prohibited from receiving on their registers the transcrip- 
tion of the act of celebration of a pretended marriage that Jerome 
Bonaparte has contracted in a foreign country, during the age of 
minority, without the consent of his mother, and without previous 
publication in the place of his nativity." 

These documents reached Jerome in New York early 
in the summer of 1804, while he and his wife were en- 
joying their brilliant social life. He was frightened by 
the determined action of Napoleon. At first he hesi- 
tated to return, fearing to meet him in his anger. That 
which caused him the most terror in all these communi- 
cations, and filled him with the most serious apprehen- 
sions for the future, was the paragraph informing him 
that Napoleon had quarrelled with his b-rother Lucien 
for presuming to enter into a matrimonial alliance be- 
neath the present brilliant fortunes of the Bonapartes.- 
Lucien was sacrificed on the altar of ambition — Lucien 
who had saved Napoleon at the crisis of his life — who 
had bravely stood between him and political ruin, degra- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. I 7 

dation, and perhaps death. If Napoleon had not hesi- 
tated to abandon the brother who had opened for him 
the way to the consulate and empire, what clemency 
could Jerome expect, who had done nothing for the glory 
of his family, and whose first act was a disobedience ? 

At length he screwed his courage up to the necessity 
of the case, and prepared to sail. On the 14th of June, 
1804, it was published in the New York papers " that 
M. Jerome Bonaparte, his lady, and Mr. Patterson, of 
Baltimore, her father, arrived in this city on Tues- 
day. Report says that the young couple are about to 
depart for France, but the correctness of the rumor is 
considered questionable." Two days later we read that 
" two pilot-boats, sent out each with a French officer on 
board, to ascertain whether British vessels of war are off 
the harbor, returned yesterday afternoon with informa- 
tion that the coast is clear. M. Jerome Bonaparte 
went down to the French frigates at the watering-places 
yesterday morning. It is understood that he is to take 
his departure in the commodore's ship, the Didon, of 
fourteen guns, reputed the best appointed and fastest 
sailing frigate in the French or English navy. It was in 
this vessel, according to report, that Napoleon escaped 
from Egypt." On the 19th it was announced that 
"Jerome Bonaparte and lady were rowed up yesterday 
from on board the Didon, and were safely landed oppo- 
site their lodgings, in Washington street, at twelve 
o'clock. The Frenchmen say they would not mind the 
Cambrian frigate and Driver sloop of war, but the 
heavier ships they say are in the offing, they wish to 



1 8 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

avoid." On the 20th follows still another item: "The 
reports to which the arrival of the British vessels of war 
have given rise are numerous and contradictory. At 
one time it is said the Frenchmen are determined to sail 
at all hazards — at another, that they have no such inten- 
tions. It is now reported that Jerome has magnani- 
mously resolved to take his passage in the Didon, and 
share with his countrymen the dangers of a rencounter 
with the enemy ; now, that he has prudently laid aside 
the idea, until the concurrence of more favorable circum- 
stances." Jerome, it will be remembered, after an in- 
complete education at Madame Campan's school in 
Paris, had been placed in the French navy, the First 
Consul hoping that he would develop a genius for naval 
affairs, which should enable him to cope successfully 
with Lord Nelson, whose brilliant achievements had 
made England the mistress of the seas. 

On the 21st the report was that " M. Jerome and 
lady had taken their departure in a sloop to overtake 
the Silenus, which sailed a few days ago for Amsterdam 
■ — a previous arrangement having been made." But the 
newspapers added: "We are now informed that they 
are still in the city, and it is expected they have aban- 
doned their contemplated departure for the present. 
The number of the British frigates, etc., on the coasts, 
and the sharp lookout that will be kept for them in dif- 
ferent parts of their voyage by vessels of superior force, 
would render their safe arrival in France extremely im- 
probable." 

Following these newspaper reports, we find the follow- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 19 

ing statement made on July 9th : " Jerome Bonaparte, it 
is understood, has abandoned all intentions of imme- 
diately returning to France, and contemplates commenc- 
ing in a few days a pretty extensive tour ; in the course 
of which, after passing through the Eastern States, he 
will visit the Springs of Lebanon and Ballston, and 
pursue the customary route to visit the grand Falls of 
Niagara. His lady will be of the party." 

On August 20th, this "tour" had evidently been 
accomplished, for we read: "Jerome Bonaparte, hav- 
ing returned to this city from the Eastern States, par- 
took of an elegant entertainment on board the French 
frigate Didon on last Friday. We are informed that 
the French officers addressed him by the title of His 
Imperial Highness, and that a late number of the Moni- 
teur invites this style of address." 

About this time General Armstrong had been ap- 
pointed Minister to France in place of Mr. Livingston. 
General Armstrong at first agreed to take Madame Bona- 
parte to France with him while her husband sailed in 
one of the French frigates. In a letter dated New York, 
Sept. 5, 1804, written to her father, Madame Bonaparte 
says that General Armstrong, after promising to act as 
her escort, had suddenly changed his mind and gone off 
without her. Reports about Jerome Bonaparte and his 
wife continued to be published in the New York papers 
during the early part of the autumn of 1804, but, not- 
withstanding the repeated rumors of their intention to 
sail, they remained in America. 

Jerome was, however, not without allies. On the 19th 



20 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

of October he received a kind and even affectionate 
letter from his brother Joseph, who had recently been 
made by Napoleon a Senator of France and Grand Offi- 
cer of the Legion of Honor. An extract shows that 
Joseph by no means shared the feelings of Napoleon. 

" I do not know your resources in the country where you are. 
Do not forget that everything I have is at your disposition, and that 
I shall share with you everything I could have, with great pleasure. 
Since your affections have led you far from your family and from 
your friends, I feel, for my part, that you cannot renounce them. 
Tell Mrs. Jerome from me, that as soon as she arrives, and is 
acknowledged by the chief of the family, she will not find a more 
affectionate brother than I. I have every reason to believe, after 
what I have heard of her, that her qualities and character will pro- 
mote your happiness, and inspire us with an esteem and friendship 
that I shall be very much pleased to express to her." 

On the 12th of October a scandalous paragraph ap- 
peared in the Parisian journals, to the effect that Jerome 
Bonaparte might have a mistress in America, but he 
could not have a wife, as he was a minor and could not 
marry without the consent of his parents. Upon this, 
Robert Patterson wrote : 

" The Consul's determination is now but too plain. It is fortu- 
nate Jerome is still in America. He ought to remain there for 
the present, until his friends have recognized his marriage. If his 
family are determined on proceeding to extremities, they will pos- 
sibly, to oblige him to return, curtail his supplies — perhaps withhold 
them altogether. I can scarcely, however, think such a plan would 
be persevered in. Our dependence is now entirely on Jerome's 
honor. With firmness on his part, the affair may yet terminate 
favorably. There is much to be apprehended : when the emperor 
has made up his mind on any subject, he seldom gives way or re- 
cedes from his opinions." 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 21 

Yet, in a letter dated Amsterdam, Nov. 7th, Robert 
writes again that " Capt. Bentalou does not by any 
means think the prospect so gloomy as appearances 
would seem to indicate." 

In all he did, Robert Patterson appears to have been 
most wise and prudent, carrying out his part in this in- 
teresting drama with great discretion ; and had success 
been possible, he would have obtained it. He constantly 
recommended quiet and caution in the conduct of the 
affair — that it was absolutely necessary to avoid every 
measure which would have the effect of irritating the 
emperor — that Jerome should by all means remain in 
the United States, if he could do so without direct op- 
position to his brother's wishes ; but, if he should decide 
to return to France, that he must bring his wife with 
him, be the consequences what they might. 

Jerome determined to follow this last advice ; and 
about the middle of autumn, 1804, Captain Bonaparte 
and his wife returned to Baltimore, finding it impossible 
to secure a safe passage from New York. Toward the 
end of October, accompanied by Miss Spear, an aunt of 
Madame Bonaparte, they at length embarked at Phil- 
adelphia in the ship Philadelphia, for Cadiz. In passing 
down the Delaware the vessel was driven ashore off 
Lewes by a gale. They were obliged to abandon the 
vessel, and narrowly escaped with their lives ; after 
being in the water for some moments, they managed to 
get into a boat, Madame Bonaparte being one of the 
first who was rescued. They were hospitably enter- 
tained by a gentleman in the neighborhood, at whose 



22 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

table Madame Bonaparte enjoyed a hearty meal of roast 
goose and apple sauce, much to the horror of her staid 
old aunt, who thought she should have been upon her 
knees, thanking God for sparing her life. A daughter 
of the gentleman at whose house they were was long in 
the habit of relating how the young madame ran back- 
ward and forward from the house to the yard, watching 
her handsome clothes which were drying upon the line 
after the shipwreck. 

This was their last attempt to sail for Europe that 
year. 

The two French frigates which had been lying at the 
port of New York during the summer and autumn ar- 
rived at L'Orient, France, on the 15th of December. 
Napoleon was angry with Jerome for not sailing with 
them ; and, at the same time, speaking of the marriage, 
said he could only regard it in the light of a " camp " 
one — the laws of France not acknowledging any mar- 
riage contract as valid when entered into by a minor. 
Madame Mere informed a friend of the Patterson family 
that orders had been sent to all the ports of France to 
arrest Jerome in case he brought his wife with him, and 
to send her back to America. She recommended his 
going to France alone and sending his wife to Holland ; 
and said that, if he adopted this advice, a reconciliation 
might still be effected. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 23 



CHAPTER II. 

Napoleon is proclaimed Emperor. — Formation of the Imperial Court. — Mot- 
sieur Jerome is excluded from the Imperial Dynasty. — Monsieur and 
Madame Bonaparte spend the Winter of 1805 in Baltimore. — A Brilliant 
Season. — They sail for Europe. — Arrival at Lisbon. — Madame Bonaparte 
not allowed to land. — Jerome leaves her and goes to meet Napoleon. — 
The Emperor at first refuses to see his Brother. — He declares his Mar- 
riage null, and says he will never acknowledge it. — Madame Bonaparte 
sails for Amsterdam. — She arrives in the Texel Roads and is ordered 
off. — She goes to England. — Birth of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte. — 
Mme. Bonaparte returns to the United States. — Napoleon applies to the 
Pope for a Bull divorcing Jerome from his Wife. — The Pope's Refusal. 

In the meantime, great and unexpected events had hap- 
pened in France. On the 18th of May, 1804, Napoleon 
declared himself Emperor. The position of the First 
Consul of the French Republic did not satisfy his ambi- 
tion. Sprung from the people, he wished to re-establish 
the empire of Charlemagne after the lapse of a thousand 
years ; the son of a Corsican lawyer, he proudly called 
himself the successor of St. Louis. As Charlemagne 
had been crowned by Pope Leo III. in the 9th century, 
so Napoleon wished to be crowned by Pope Pius VII. 
in the 19th century. 

The Pontiff complied with this request, and on the 
2d of December, 1804, in the midst of one of the most 
magnificent scenes ever witnessed in modern times, 



24 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Napoleon and Josephine were crowned, in Notre Dame, 
Emperor and Empress of France. 

An imperial court was next created : Joseph and 
Louis Bonaparte were declared princes of the empire, 
with the right of succession should Napoleon fail of 
issue. 

These were- only preludes to still higher honors. 
Joseph was soon made King of Naples, and Louis King 
of Holland. Lucien and Jerome were excluded from 
the imperial dynasty. Murat, the son of an innkeeper, 
who had married Caroline Bonaparte, was made a prince 
of the empire, and Grand Duke of Berg. Eugene Beau- 
harnais, the adopted son of Napoleon, was also made a 
prince and arch-chancellor of the empire, while lesser 
honors were conferred upon marshals and generals. •; 

While these extraordinary events were taking place in 
France, Jerome and his wife had returned to Baltimore, 
where they were enjoying to the full the brilliant social 
life they led there. In the midst of it, still more alarm- 
ing news than before came from France ; the emperor 
expressed his determination to throw Jerome into prison 
as soon as he arrived, there to remain till he consented 
to repudiate his wife, and marry some one whom Napo- 
leon should select. Before these threats had reached 
the United States, however, Jerome and his wife, having 
failed to secure passage on other vessels, had arranged 
to sail in one of Mr. Patterson's own ships, the " Erin." 

Madame Bonaparte was confident that even the cold 
heart of Napoleon would melt before the enchantment of 
her beauty — that even his inflexible will would bend be- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 2$ 

fore her eloquence and yield to her tears. Therefore 
she determined to go with her husband, that they might 
together throw themselves at his feet and ask his forgive- 
ness and recognition. 

After a quick and prosperous voyage, the Erin arrived 
at Lisbon on the 2d of April. Here they had at once a 
proof of Napoleon's despotic power. A French guard 
was placed around their vessel, and Madame Jerome 
was not allowed to land. An ambassador from Napo- 
leon waited upon her, and asked her what he could do 
for Miss Patterson. 

To whom she replied : " Tell your master that Ma- 
dame Bonaparte is ambitious, and demands her rights as 
a member of the imperial family." 

Soon after arriving at Lisbon, Jerome hastened to 
Paris, hoping, by a personal interview, to win Napoleon 
over to a recognition of the marriage. On his way 
through Spain he met Junot, who had just been ap- 
pointed Minister to Portugal. Junot endeavored to dis- 
suade him from resisting the wishes of Napoleon. Je- 
rome declared that he never would abandon his beauti- 
ful young wife. " Strong in the justice of my cause," 
he said solemnly, " I am resolved not to yield this point." 
He then showed Junot a miniature of Madame Jerome, 
which represented a young lady of extraordinary beauty. 
" To a person so exquisitely beautiful," said Jerome, 
" are united all the qualities that can render a woman 
enchanting." 

When Jerome reached Paris, he requested an inter- 
view with Napoleon, which was refused. He was told 



26 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

to address the emperor by letter, which he did, and re- 
ceived the following answer, which put an end to all his 
hopes : 

" I have received your letter of this morning. There are no 
faults that you have committed which may not be effaced in my 
eyes by a sincere repentance. Your marriage is null, both in a 
religious and legal point of view. / will never acknowledge it. 
Write to Miss Patterson to return to the United States, and tell 
her it is not possible to give things another turn. On condition of 
her return to America, I will allow her a pension during her life of 
sixty thousand francs per year, provided she does not take the name 
of my family, to which she has no right, her marriage having no 
existence." 

When Napoleon declared that Jerome's marriage was 
"null, both in a religious and legal point of view," he 
was expressing his own wishes rather than stating the 
facts. At the time of Jerome's marriage to Miss Pat- 
terson, Napoleon was only the First Consul of France, 
and could have no control over the members of his fam- 
ily. Jerome's mother, and eldest brother, Joseph, were 
the only persons whose consent was necessary, and they 
concurred in approving the marriage. The marriage 
had been celebrated according to the prescribed rites of 
the Catholic Church, of which Jerome professed to be a 
member, and the ceremony had been performed by the 
highest dignitary of that church in America. 

When Jerome was at length admitted to the presence 
of his brother, Napoleon thus addressed him : " So, sir, 
you are the first of the family who has shamefully aban- 
doned his post. It will require many splendid actions 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 27 

to wipe off that stain from your reputation. As to your 
love affair with your little girl, I pay no regard to it." 

In the meantime, what had become of the " beautiful 
young wife," left by her husband a stranger in a foreign 
land, surrounded by open enemies and false friends ? 
About the middle of April, Madame Jerome Bonaparte 
finding that she would not be allowed to land at Lisbon, 
or any port from which Napoleon had power to exclude 
her, sailed for Amsterdam. 

There she arrived on the 1st of May. But her troubles 
were not over. Napoleon, who was now the absolute 
master of the continent of Europe, in anticipation of 
her arrival in Holland, had ordered Schimmelpenninck, 
the Grand Pensionary of the Batavian Republic, to pre- 
vent Madame Jerome Bonaparte, " or any person assum- 
ing that name," from landing in any port of that coun- 
try. In compliance with this command, when the ship 
Erin arrived in the Texel Roads, she was ordered off 
immediately, and all persons were forbidden to hold any 
communication with her, under severe penalty. 

The Erin was in the Texel eight days, during which 
time she was strictly guarded, being placed between a 
sixty-four gun-ship and a frigate. There were even diffi- 
culties about visiting her. Sylvanus Bourne, who was 
United States Consul to Amsterdam at that time, 
addressed a letter to- the Grand Pensionary, in which he 
referred to the rigorous orders, forbidding any commu- 
nication between^-the ship and shore, and requested that 
permission should be granted for supplying the vessel 
with fresh provisions. Whatever may have been Schim- 



28 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

melpenninck's good intentions, he was powerless to act in 
the matter, for he was absolutely under the control of 
Napoleon. 

Excluded from all the ports of Continental Europe, 
and fearing that an attempt would be made upon her 
life if she remained in the Texel, Madame Bonaparte 
sailed for England. She arrived at Dover on the 19th 
of May, and so great was the desire of the crowd to see 
this now celebrated woman, that Mr. Pitt, the Prime 
Minister of England, sent a military escort to keep off 
the multitude that had assembled to watch her disem- 
bark. Her first and only child was born at Camberwell, 
near London, on the 7th of July, 1805, and named Je- 
rome Napoleon Bonaparte, after the husband from whom 
she believed herself only temporarily parted. Five 
weeks after the boy's birth Madame Bonaparte wrote to 
her father a letter, in which she gives all the information 
she could obtain concerning that husband's whereabouts 
and intentions. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

England, August 14, i3o5. 

Dear Sir — Mrs. Anderson* is extremely anxious to return to 
America, and, as she will be no material loss, she takes her depart- 
ure in the Robert. 

We have at length concluded on remaining here the winter, but 
not in London, as my going into public or showing myself would 
be highly improper. I have received no letters from Bonaparte 
since he has seen the emperor. He wrote to me from Madrid and 
Mount Cenis, which is near Milan, where th^-emperor then was ; 
but, on his arrival, his brother refused to see him, and he is now 

* Ma4ame Bonaparte's companion. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 29 

cruising before Genoa. He sent Le Camus from Milan to Amster- 
dam to meet me, and upon finding I was neither at Amsterdam or 
Embden, Le Camus refused to leave his letter forme with Robert.* 
I, however, have just received a message from Bonaparte as late as 
29th of June, that he was as much attached to me as ever. He sent 
this to me through the medium of some English friends of the 
Marchioness of Donegal, who reside at Genoa. I suppose he finds 
it impossible to have a letter conveyed. I request you will not 
mention a word of my affairs to Mr. O'Donnell ; f for, although 
he would not willingly injure me by telling, yet he is incapable of 
keeping a secret, and everything that is said the French Minister, 
Turreau, will certainly write to France. They have had poor Ben- 
talou t in the Temple, but he is liberated ; they took from him a 
letter from you to Bonaparte, and I have never been able to get a 
single letter sent to him. I am sure, likewise, that Turreau has 
orders to try and sound you with respect to my consenting to a 
separation from Bonaparte on certain conditions ; but, as we have 
no reason to suppose that he will ever consent to give me up, we 
must certainly act as if we supposed him possessed of some prin- 
ciple and honor. Turreau will likewise try to find from you what 
were his intentions on leaving the United States in case the em- 
peror would not receive me ; but a perfect silence, if he sees you 
or talks of me, would be the safest. 

We imagine that Bonaparte is in some measure a prisoner, and 
we must wait patiently to know how he will act ; in the meantime, 
it would be extremely imprudent for me to go out or see any one, 
and I must avoid getting into any scrapes which I might be led 
into from thinking that he would desert me. No matter what I 
think, it is unjust to condemn until we have some certainty greater 
than at present, and my conduct shall be such as if I had a perfect 
reliance on him. I think that by returning to the United States 
it would seem as if I had yielded the point, and by next spring 
everything will be decided. 

* Brother of Madame Bonaparte. 

t John O'Donnell, Esq., a wealthy East India merchant in Baltimore, at 
the beginning of this century. 
X A French officer who served in the American Revolution. 



30 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Mr. Monroe * and family are in London, and have shown us the 
greatest civility and kindness. It is of the greatest importance for 
you to be very guarded with respect to Turreau ; for I have every 
reason to know that they will try to prevail on me to consent to a 
separation, and if they can get anything from either you or myself 
like encouragement, they will persuade Bonaparte that we have no 
objection, provided, etc., etc., etc. 

Do not speak of my connection with the Marchioness of Done- 
gal, as, if it were. known that she conveyed a message from Bona- 
parte to me, or from me to him, which she has promised, she 
might be brought into trouble, and no one would venture to oblige 
us again. We received last evening a letter from Gamier f at 
Genoa ; he says that Bonaparte desires me to return to the United 
States, that he will be absent from me a year or eighteen months, 
and that he strongly objects to my staying in England. But we 
think it is a trick of Garnier's, and that Bonaparte knows nothing 
about the letter — especially as we know Gamier to be a villain. 
The emperor has offered to give me twelve thousand dollars a year 
during my life, on condition that I would return to America and 
give up his name. I request you will not mention this propo- 
sal ; I have never taken the smallest notice of it. I never talk be- 
fore any one of the emperor or any of his family, and one advan- 
tage of my staying the winter in this country is that I escape 
observation more than in Baltimore, where you know people are 
always on the watch, and where many stories would be written to 
France. We received yesterday letters from Mama and Miss 
Spear, J of the 29th of May ; they express surprise at me not saying 
anything about the decree the emperor had passed to annul my 
marriage, in our letters from Lisbon. But not one of us knew it 
until Bonaparte had departed, and he was ignorant of it when he 
left us. You must place no confidence in what the English papers 
say, as they often publish that I will appear in public, when I am 
sitting quietly in my room. 

I remain, dear sir, yours, E. >' 

* James Monroe, afterward President of the United States, 
t Dr. Gamier, Jerome's physician in America. 
t Cousin of Madame Bonaparte. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 3 1 

Three months after this letter was written the young 
mother and her child embarked for the United States, 
and, after a prosperous voyage of four weeks, arrived in 
Baltimore. 

On the 24th of May, 1805, the Emperor Napoleon ad- 
dressed a formal letter to Pope Pius VII., requesting him 
to publish a bull annulling Jerome's marriage with Miss 
Patterson. In this letter occurs the following para- 
graph : 

" I have frequently spoken to your Holiness of a young brother, 
nineteen years of age, whom I sent in a frigate to America, and 
who, after a sojourn of a month, although a minor, married a Prot- 
estant, a daughter of a merchant of the United States. He has 
just returned. He is fully conscious of his faults. I have sent 
back to America Miss Patterson, who calls herself his wife. By 
our laws the marriage is null. A Spanish priest so far forgot his 
duties as to pronounce the benediction. I desire from your Holi- 
ness a bull annulling the marriage. I sent your Holiness several 
papers, from one of which, by Cardinal Casselli, your Holiness will 
receive much light. I could easily have this marriage broken in 
Paris, since the Gallican Church pronounces such matrimonies 
null. But it appears to me better to have it done in Rome, on 
account of the example to sovereign families marrying Protestants. 
I beg your Holiness to do this quietly, and as soon as I know that 
you are willing to do it, I will have the marriage broken here 
by civil process. It is important for France that there should 
not be a Protestant young woman so near my person. It is dan- 
gerous that a minor and a young man of high rank should be 
exposed to such seduction against the civil laws and every rule of 
propriety." 

Accompanying this letter Napoleon sent a magnifi- 
cent gold tiara to the pontiff, hoping thereby to gain a 
favorable answer. 



32 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

The emperor's letter contained several important mis- 
representations : Jerome had been in the United States 
four months instead of one y before the marriage took 
place ; the ceremony was performed, not by a Spanish 
priest, but by the Right Reverend John Carroll, Bishop 
of Baltimore, and the highest dignitary of the Catholic 
Church in the" United States. 

Pius VII. gave the matter the consideration which its 
importance demanded. The secret archives of the Pro- 
paganda were examined ; the treasures of the Vatican 
Library were ransacked to see whether there existed in 
the whole history of the Church a precedent for such an 
act. There was none to be found. The Catholic 
Church has always held the marriage tie inviolate. 
Knowing that he had not the power to dissolve a mar- 
riage celebrated with all the formalities required by the 
Church, Pius VII., indifferent to the frowns of Napoleon, 
and careless alike of his threats and of his power of exe- 
cuting them, unhesitatingly declared that he neither 
could nor would annul the marriage between Jerome 
Bonaparte and Elizabeth Patterson. The course 
adopted by Napoleon in this affair was the beginning of 
a series of cruel measures, which culminated in the 
divorce of his own lawful wife and the imprisonment 
of the inflexible Pius VII. in the chateau of Fontaine- 
bleau, where a few years later the emperor himself 
was compelled to sign his abdication of the throne of 
France. 

The following passages from the Pope's letter to 
Napoleon show that, while he was conciliatory, he was 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 33 

firm in his determination. The position of the Holy 
Father should have been respected by a ruler who 
proudly proclaimed himself the " eldest son of the 
Church." 

From the Vatican, June 26, 1805. 

Emperor and Royal Majesty — We beg your Majesty not to 
attribute the delay in the return of the courier to any other cause 
than a desire to employ all the means in our power to comply 
with the requests of your Majesty, communicated to us by your 
letter, which, together with its accompanying documents, was 
handed to us by the courier in person. 

In everything which depended upon us, namely, inviolable 
secrecy, we have felt honored in yielding to the solicitations of your 
Majesty with the most scrupulous exactness ; hence, we have con- 
fined entirely to ourself the investigation of the petition concern- 
ing the judgment on the marriage in question. 

In the crowd of affairs which overwhelm us, we have taken all 
the care and given ourself all the trouble to derive personally from 
all sources the means of making the most careful researches to as- 
certain if our Apostolic authority could furnish any method of sat- 
isfying the wishes of your Majesty ; which, considering their end, 
it would have been very agreeable to us to second. But, in what- 
ever light we have considered it, the result of our examination has 
been that of all the motives that have been proposed or which we 
can imagine, there is not one which allows us to gratify your Ma- 
jesty, as we should be glad to do, by declaring the nullity of the 
marriage. The three documents which your Majesty has sent us, 
being based on principles contrary to each other, are reciprocally 
destroyed. The first, setting aside all other absolute impediments, 
assumes that there are only two which can apply to the case : dif- 
ference of the religion of the contracting parties, and the absence 
of the curate at the celebration of the marriage. The second, re- 
jecting these two impediments, deduces two others: from the want 
of the consent of the mother and the relations of the young man, a 
minor, and from the offence known under the name of seduction. 
The third disagrees with the second, and proposes as the motive 



34 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

of nullity the want of consent of the curate of the husband, which 
it assumes is necessary, since he has not changed his residence, 
because, according to the disposition of the Council of Trent, the 
permission of the curate of the parish is absolutely necessary in 
marriages. But, from an analysis of these conflicting opinions, it 
results that the proposed impediments are four in number. On ex- 
amining them separately, however, it has not been possible to find 
one which, in the present case and according to the principles of 
the Church, can authorize us to declare the nullity of the marriage 
contracted and already consummated. The difference of religion 
considered by the Church as an absolute impediment does not ob- 
tain between the persons who have been baptized, even when one of 
them is not in the Catholic communion. This impediment obtains 
only in marriage contracted between a Christian and an infidel. 
These marriages between Protestants and Catholics, although dis- 
approved of by the Church, are nevertheless acknowledged as 
valid We earnestly hope that your Majesty will be satisfied that 
the desire which animates us of seconding your wishes is in this 
case rendered ineffectual by want of power, and that you will ac- 
cept, this very declaration as a sincere testimony of our paternal 
affection." 



Napoleon found his own council of state more com- 
plaisant than the Pope ; and on the specious plea that 
the marriage was not binding, because it was contracted 
when Jerome was under age and without the consent of 
his guardian, it was declared by the civil tribunal null 
and void. 

The weak and fickle Jerome soon forgot his " dear 
little wife," as he once was fond of calling her. After 
leaving her at Lisbon, in April, 1805, Jerome addressed 
her frequent and tender letters, declaring repeatedly 
that his " dear little wife " was the sole object of all 
his love, for whom he would be willing to give up his 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 35 

life. As late as October, 1805, he wrote to her from 
Paris : 

" Ma chere et bien-aimee femme, la vie n'est rien pour moi 
sans toi et mon fils. Sois tranquille, ton mari ne t'abandonneras 



On the 16th of the same month he wrote to her again : 

" Te quitter, ma bonne femme, je n'en eus jamais la fatale pen- 
see ; mais je me conduis en homme d'honneur, en brave et loyal 
militaire. J'aime mon pays, j'aime la gloire ; maisjeles aime en 
homme qui, accoutume a ne rien craindre, n'oubliera jamais qu'il 
est le pere de Jerome Napoleon et mari d'Elise. Je t'embrasse 
comme je t'aime, and je t'aime autant que ma vie." f 

In another letter Jerome assures her that he prefers 
her to a crown. Again he writes : 

" Crois, mon Elise, que ma premiere pensee en me levant, 
comme la derniere quandje m'endors, est toujours pour toi, et que 
si je n'etais pas certain d'avoir le bonheur de rejoindre ma bien- 
aimee femme, je cesserais de vivre." J 

His often-repeated determination " never to abandon 
his beautiful young wife " melted away before the frowns 



* " My dear and well-beloved wife, life is nothing to me without thee and 
my son. Be tranquil; thy husband will never abandon thee." 

+ " My good wife, I have never had the fatal thought of leaving thee ; I act 
as a man of honor, as a brave and loyal soldier. I love my country, I love 
glory ; but I love them as a man who, accustomed to fear nothing, never for- 
gets that he is the father of Jerome Napoleon and the husband of Elise. I 
embrace thee as I love thee, and I love thee as my life." 

X " Believe, my Elise, that my first thought on waking, as my last in falling 
asleep, is always of thee ; and if I were not sure of the happiness of rejoining 
my well-beloved wife, I should cease to live." 



36 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

and brilliant promises of Napoleon. In a few months 
after separating from her in Lisbon, he consented to a 
divorce. As a reward of his pusillanimity, Jerome was 
created a prince of the empire, and raised to the rank 
of Admiral of the French Navy. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 37 



CHAPTER III. 

Madame Bonaparte's disappointed Ambition.— Jerome's perfidy confirmed 
by his Marriage with the Princess of Wiirtemberg. — Madame Bonaparte's 
Residence in Baltimore.— The Stuart Portrait.— The Course of Events in 
France. — Madame Bonaparte again visits Europe. — Her Letters from 
England and France, 1806-1816. 

WHEN Madame Bonaparte returned to her father's 
house in Baltimore after her unsuccessful trip to Europe, 
there was around her a glamour of romance, poetry, 
and suffering. Those who had envied her as the beauti- 
ful and brilliant bride of Jerome Bonaparte could well 
afford to sympathize with the disappointed and deserted 
young wife. Her ambition had led her to contract what 
seemed to her the most splendid matrimonial alliance 
ever made by an American woman. But this ambitious 
marriage, which she had fondly hoped would open for 
her a dazzling career at the court of Napoleon, whose 
genius she enthusiastically admired, was destined to be 
the source of all her future troubles. 

She herself soon accepted the result as inevitable. 
She was too thorough a woman of the world to be de- 
ceived by the honeyed words which Jerome addressed 
to her after their separation at Lisbon. Rochefoucauld 
had made her cynical. Still she had Long retained some 
of that tender confidence in the man she had once 



3 8 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

trusted, which is so characteristic of a woman. She 
had hoped against hope ; but when she found that he 
was actually a puppet to his brother's threat, her love 
and admiration changed to complete contempt. The 
bright and joyous girl whose loveliness had captivated 
Jerome Bonaparte became a brilliant, cynical woman, 
with wit like lightning, which soon made itself feared. 
It was by no means safe for people who felt no sympathy 
for her misfortune, but on the contrary rejoiced at her 
disappointment, to show their joy in her presence. 

At the conclusion of the peace of Tilsit, July, 1807, 
Napoleon informed Jerome that the members of the 
imperial family were required to form alliances which 
would support his throne. It was not enough that he 
had repudiated his lawful wife ; his previous obedience 
had indeed gained him the throne of Westphalia, which 
was formed out of the territories of the Grand Duke of 
Hesse ; but to support his new dignity he must now go 
even farther. On the 12th of August, 1807, he was 
married to the Princess Fredericka Catharina, daughter 
of the King of Wurtemberg ; but not until he had pre- 
viously made two unsuccessful attempts to forma matri- 
monial alliance with other princesses. The marriage 
was celebrated with all the pomp and ceremony with 
which Napoleon knew so well how to dazzle the French 
people. After the festivities the new king and queen 
left Paris to take possession of their dominions ; and in 
his miniature kingdom Jerome soon banished any 
memories which may have haunted him, in a boyish 
imitation of the state and splendor of his brother. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 39 

Madame Bonaparte remained in the United States. 
Her time was spent between her father's residence in 
Baltimore and his various country-seats in Maryland. 
She was much sought after in society, where her extra- 
ordinary beauty, fascinating manner, and romantic his- 
tory made her an object of interest ; but, except this, her 
life was for awhile uneventful. About this time we find 
her corresponding with an old friend of her father's in 
Baltimore, Mr. Robert Gilmor, relative to the unfin- 
ished portrait of herself, commenced by Gilbert Stuart 
in 1804. This picture, consisting of three positions of 
the face, was intended as a study, and for years has hung 
in the gallery of the Maryland Historical Society, Balti- 
more. From this study Stuart intended to paint a 
handsome portrait, but, owing to his habit of accepting 
more orders than he could execute, the picture has re- 
mained unfinished. It was considered by Madame Bo- 
naparte the best likeness of her ever taken. " It looked," 
she said, "like herself; the others looked like any 
other woman."* 

Robert Gilmor was a wealthy Baltimore merchant, 
possessing a love of art. He induced Gilbert Stuart to 
come to Baltimore, and through his influence obtained 
many sittings for him. As seen by the following letter, 
it was through his interference that Madame Bonaparte, 
after a long delay, finally succeeded in getting her por- 
trait into her possession, though in its incomplete state. 



* The portrait which illustrates this volume is copied from the study here 
described. 



40 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO ROBERT GILMOR. 

Springfield, Carroll Co., Ma, Sept. 30, 1807. 

Sir — I entreat you to accept my acknowledgments for youi 
successful application to Stuart for the portrait — an act as flattering 
to me as it is pleasing, and which augments, if possible^ the senti- 
ments of regard by which I have ever been actuated toward you. 
Stuart has hitherto remained inexorable to all our solicitations, and 
his prompt acquiescence in your demand affords a proof of the 
estimation in which you are held by this distinguished artist. You 
will, I flatter myself, have the goodness to retain the picture in 
your possession until my arrival in town, where I shall have the 
honor of personally offering you my thanks. 

I have the honor to remain your obliged, humble servant, 

Elizabeth Bonaparte. 



It may be imagined with what profound interest 
Madame Bonaparte watched the course of events in 
France during the crowded years that intervened be- 
tween her return and the end of Napoleon's empire. 
When she heard of the divorce of Josephine, and knew 
that Napoleon could thus sever his own tenderest ties, 
she must have understood, if never before, with what 
little compunction he had wrecked her happiness. 

She saw the Corsican adventurer marry a daughter of 
the Hapsburgs, imprison the Pope, and laugh at his 
excommunication. From this moment she followed the 
varying course of the emperor's downfall, until his final 
overthrow at Waterloo. 

This was the event which again set at liberty her rest- 
less ambition. Two months after it we find Madame 
Bonaparte in Europe, this time at Cheltenham, England. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 41 

Her son she had left at school at Mount St. Mary's 
College, Emmettsburg, Maryland. How and why she 
had gone abroad is explained sufficiently in extracts 
from her correspondence. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Cheltenham, August 22, 1815. 
Dear Sir — I have been obliged to remain here owing to indis- 
position, but shall proceed to Paris when my health will permit me 
to travel. I have been agreeably surprised at the kind and flatter- 
ing reception which I have received from the most fashionable and 
elevated ranks in society in this country — nor is there anything left 
for me to desire except the presence of my American friends to 
witness the estimation in which I have the happiness to be held. 
The political state of Europe is still fluctuating. France is a vol- 
cano, from which occasionally are emitted sparks of fire which 
threaten alike all parties. Louis XVIII. remains at Paris, protected 
by the combined forces of Europe. Napoleon is gone to St. Hele- 
na, but has left behind him a reputation which adversity has not 
subverted. 

Every one wishes me to educate my child in England, and they 
are good enough to flatter him by saying that Bonaparte talents 
ought to have English education. He would indeed be much more 
highly considered in Europe than in America, where unfortunately 
he possesses no rank ; and could I combine with the interest he ex- 
cites here,, the solid advantage of a large fortune, I should be too 
happy ! As a last resort, he must be a professional character, and 
the talent with which nature has so lavishly endowed him might 
lead him to the highest eminence in Europe. America and its in- 
stitutions are yet in a state of infancy — nor is there, from the com- 
mercial complexion of all its pursuits, the same field for success- 
ful exertion of the kind of mental superiority which your grandson, 
happily or unhappily, possesses. Splendid intellectual endow- 
ments may be a misery or a blessing to their possessor, and every- 



42 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

thing depends on the method of directing them in early age.* My 
conduct in leaving America was the result of much previous reflec- 
tion, nor do I see any reason yet to regret it ; on the contrary, my 
most sanguine expectations have been exceeded. 

With love to the family, I remain, sir, respectfully and affection- 
ately, 

Yours, 

E. Patterson. 

In this year, by a special act of the legislature of Mary- 
land, Madame Bonaparte was divorced from her hus- 
band, in order to prevent him, after the downfall of Na- 
poleon, from claiming any share of her fortune. In this 
measure she showed her usual prudence and foresight, 
for, believing that the King of Westphalia was ruined, 
and having but a low opinion of his sense of honor, she 
determined to forestall him in any attempt he might 
make to enrich himself at the expense of one whom he 
had so basely deserted. 

On the 2d of September, Madame Bonaparte again 
wrote to her father from Cheltenham as follows : 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Cheltenham, September 2, 1815. 
Dear Sir — I perceive with much regret, by your letters re- 
specting me to persons of this country, that you announced to them 
that I conceived myself ill, and had embarked contrary to the 
wishes of my friends. I shall answer categorically these two accu- 
sations, and answer them without temper. The physicians of Eng- 
land are willing to give a certificate of their opini-on that there is 
an accumulation of bile on my liver, which would have killed me, 

* At this time her son was ten years old. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 43 

or produced the last stage of hypochondria in three months, had I 
not gone to sea and tried change of climate. They will likewise 
state that if the disease does not yield to a. course of mercury, or 
the waters of this place, it will fall on the lungs and terminate my 
life. 

As to leaving America without the consent of my friends, it ap- 
pears to me that, if indeed I have friends there, they would have 
wished me to come to a country where I am cherished, visited, 
respected, and admired. It appears to me that, if I have friends 
in America, their friendship might have been shown in some more 
agreeable mode than finding fault with me for being miserable 
in a country where I never was appreciated, and where I never can 
be contented. It appears to me natural too, that, if I have friends 
in America — which I have, I reluctantly confess, sometimes 
doubted — that their pride might be gratified in hearing that I am 
in the first society in Europe, and that, too, for my personal merits ; 
for, without vanity I may say so, since I have neither rank, fortune, 
nor friends of my own, willing to assist or protect me. I acknow- 
ledge that the standing I possess in this country is highly flattering, 
and that it is not surprising I should prefer people of rank and 
distinction who are willing to notice me. Their attentions are very 
gratuitous, for I am a very poor stranger, and a very unfortunate 
one on many accounts. 

My misfortune and the declining state of my health have ex- 
cited more interest here than in my own country, and have been a 
passport to the favor of the great. My talents and manners are 
likely to preserve their good opinion. What you have written of 
me to Europe will have very bad effects. Either people will won- 
der you should not wish my health restored, and that you should 
not be pleased at knowing me in the first society, or they will con- 
sider me to be a hypocrite and disobedient child, who has bribed 
medical men to say my life is in danger. There is likewise another 
effect likely to result from your writing such things of me, which is 
this : every one who knows me has heard that your wealth is 
enormous, and consequently they think I shall have a large fortune 
from you. In Europe a handsome woman who is likely to have a 
fortune may marry well ; but if it gets about that her parents are 
dissatisfied with her, they will think she will get nothing by them, 



44 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

and if she had the beauty of Venus and the talents of Minerva, 
no one will marry her. People here are not such fools as to marry 
poor beauties, however much they may admire them. The repu- 
tation of your fortune would be a great advantage to me abroad, 
and I am sure you cannot object to my having the honor of it, pro- 
vided you keep the substance. I beg that, whatever you may 
think, you will say nothing and especially write nothing about me, 
unless it "be something likely to advance me. The power of riches 
here is great, and your money, I assure you, would, if you say noth- 
ing more about me or your not liking my absence, be of great use 
to me. I mean only the reputation of it, for alas, the substance 
is not mine. I get on extremely well, and I assure you that 
altho' you have always taken me for a fool, it is not my character 
here. In America I appeared more simple than I am, because I 
was completely out of my element. It was my misfortune, not my 
fault, that I was born in a country which was not congenial to my 
desires. Here I am completely in my sphere (money excepted), 
and in contact with modes of life for which nature intended me. 
The ambition of my character made me wretched amidst scenes 
where it could only be disappointed ; here it might be satisfied. I 
have taken a house beside and under the protection of my amiable 
friends, Sir Arthur and Lady Brooke Falkener. The family with 
whom I came over remain at a boarding-house. My friends ad- 
vised me to move, as people of fashion never live in boarding- 
houses. Everything you write to McElhiney he will tell, to give 
himself a consequence in being connected with us. In this country 
distinctions in society are so much attended to, that connections 
with people who are not known, however honest and respectable 
they may be, are not tolerated. He is a well-meaning man, but 
entirely unfit for your confidence, only proper to be written to on 
business, since there is no danger of bragging of that. I feel con- 
vinced that your own good judgment will properly appreciate my 
motives in writing this letter, and that it is not a motive of vanity 
which dictates what I tell you. 

Your own pride must be interested in having me the object of 
public esteem, and your interest is to have me placed in an elevated 
situation. As to the opinions of old Mr. Gilmor and other very 
respectable and worthy persons, that I ought to be in Baltimore, 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 45 

they only tell you so because they know that their daughters might 
come here and never be known. Besides, they are envious of your 
fortune and my situation. Look how they run after the poorest 
sprigs of nobility, and then you will know what they think of my 
standing in Europe. I am surprised you do not see the advantages 
of my position, compared with that of the daughters of the other 
people in Baltimore, and that you permit the chattering of envious 
people to influence you. You well know that the wealth of our 
family, and the consequence which from many circumstances we 
possess, must be very disagreeable to others, and small towns are 
always worse than others in every respect. If people do not ap- 
probate my conduct in America, what is the reason they paid me 
so much attention ? Ask George * what I was in New York. 
What other American woman was ever attended to as I have been 
there ? Who ever had better offers ? I never would marry with- 
out rank, or God knows I might have got money enough by mar- 
riage. They are afraid of your supporting me in a rank, and of 
your sending my child where he will be in one which all their gov- 
ernment stock, insurance stock and real property could never put 
them. Let them come and try which is of most consequence, they 
or me ! I confess that it would have been perhaps a blessing if I 
could have vegetated as the wife of some respectable man in busi- 
ness ; but you know that nature never intended me for obscurity, 
and that, with my disposition and character, I am better as I am. 

Adieu, my dear sir. I am going to dress for a ball at Lady Con- 
dague's, and am then obliged to go to one at Genl. Trivin's. I ex- 
pect the Americans in Europe who cannot go out will write lies 
about those who can. I beg this letter may not be shown to Robert, 
as he never keeps anything to himself, and that you will consider 
the impropriety of writing anything except what will produce a 
good effect in this country. 

All my conduct is calculated, but you will undo the effects of my 
prudence if you write to certain people, who show your letters. 
Let people think you are proud of me, which indeed you have good 
reason to be, as I am very prudent and wise. 

E. P. 



*" George Patterson, a younger brother of Madame Bonaparte. 



46 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Mr. Patterson's answer to this letter showed that he 
was by no means carried away by the social honors 
which so flattered and delighted his daughter. 

WILLIAM PATTERSON TO MADAME BONAPARTE. 

Balto. , 16 Nov., 1815. 

My Dear Betsy — Your letter of 2d Sept. came to hand this 
day, commencing as follows : 

" I perceive with much regret by your letters respecting me to 
persons of this country that you announce to them that I conceived 
myself ill, and had embarked contrary to the wishes of my friends." 

In answer I say that the only time I have ever mentioned your 
name since your departure, was in a postscript to a letter to Mr. 

McE , when writing to him on business, wherein I expressed the 

above sentiments, and it was very improper in him to have com- 
municated those sentiments to any person whatever, as my inten- 
tions were merely to let him know that you had embarked for 
Europe that he might have rendered you any services in his power, 
should his services be necessary. 

It was generally understood by those who ought to have known, 
that your illness was more from conceit than reality, owing to the 
unsettled state of your mind — rather with a view to form an excuse 
for going to Europe, so long the object of your wishes. You cer- 
tainly embarked contrary to the advice and wishes of your best 
friends, for you cannot suppose your situation and conduct can be 
a matter of indifference to them who have very much disapproved 
of the mode you took to revisit Europe a second time. 

I cannot say I am satisfied with the attentions you seem to re- 
ceive from great people in England ; they cannot be lasting ; they 
must arise chiefly from curiosity and compassion. Your regret 
and disappointment hereafter will be in proportion to the elevated 
notions you may entertain at present from those attentions. 

You say you are prudent and wise ; God grant it may be so, for 
surely nothing would give me more pleasure. I must, however, 
say that your ideas of wisdom do not accord with mine. People 
must look at home for real substantial happiness, for it is impos-, 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 47 

sible to find it for any length of time elsewhere. Edward * writes 
you respecting your son, and I hope you will soon be tired and 
satisfied with Europe, so as to induce you to return, convinced like 
myself that this is the most proper place for you to reside. I shall 
therefore be uneasy and unhappy until you return. 

I am, dear Betsy, 

Yours very sincerely, 

William Patterson. 

How much her father's excellent sense impressed her 
may be seen from her next letter, which, however, con- 
tains the only patriotic expressions found in her whole 
correspondence. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Cheltenham, September 23, 1815. 
Dear Sir — I every day find new reasons to think we succeed 
best in strange places, since human infirmity seldom stands the 
test of close and perpetual communion. Europe more than meets 
the brilliant and vivid colors in which my imagination had por- 
trayed it. Its resources are infinite, much beyond those which 
can be offered us in a new country. The reception I am happy to 
meet in England makes me regret the loss of health which some- 
times obliges me to decline brilliant parties. The Portuguese am- 
bassador, Count Tonsall, sent me, through Viscount Lord Strang- 
ford, late ambassador at the Portuguese court, an invitation to a 
grand ball given to the nobility of Cheltenham. I left my bed at 
ten o'clock to go, as my attendance was expected, and at one in 
the morning I found myself so ill as to be unable to go to the sup- 
per-table, and to be obliged to return. The Count La Chatre, 
ambassador from France, has just sent me my passport for Paris ; 
but that beautiful country is still torn by faction. The necessary 
presence of the allied armies renders Paris an expensive residence 
to strangers, as every house is filled and the indispensable wants of 

* Madame Bonaparte's favorite brother. 



48 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

life are consequently much more exorbitant than in times of tran- 
quillity. 

My fervent desire of European pleasures was not the vision of a 
distempered fancy, it was only a prophetic spirit of the fascinations 
which here surround existence. The purposes of life are all ful- 
filled—activity and repose without monotony. Beauty commands 
homage, talents secure admiration, misfortune meets with respect. 

In this country the term old, which is so often repeated in 
America, is completely banished from the polite vocabulary. 
Women of forty, even fifty, are more cherished and as advanta- 
geously married as chits of sixteen. They are not here cheated 
out of their youth, as with us, but retain the glorious privilege of 
charming until at least sixty. Another advantage too they possess 
— of generally marrying men as young or younger than themselves. 
Since I am so happy as to be in the best society, I much deplore 
the absence of American friends to witness the estimation in which 
I am held. I have taken a house for myself, as the customs of this 
country do not authorize any person of fashion in remaining at a 
boarding-house ; Lady Falkener has been kind enough to chaperone 
me, and my house communicates with hers. There is no danger 
of my committing a single imprudent action — circumspect conduct 
can alone preserve those distinctions for which I sighed during ten 
years. 

Experience has not been lost, and time, in destroying many 
personal charms, has substituted discretion and self-command. 
Youth and beauty were not the season for great prudence. The 
intoxication of flattery required indulgence, for where exists the 
nature so inflexible as to remain unsubdued by it. 

The laurelled hero, the sceptered monarch, the subtle statesman, 
the profound politician, have all been betrayed by the ignis fatuus 
of admiration into ruin and degradation. The situation of a young 
and beautiful woman has ever been one of peril. Detraction ac- 
companies praise, and the advantages of loveliness are dearly pur- 
chased by the pains which envy inflicts. 

I have experienced the perfect truth of the observation that in 
mediocrity alone can be found happiness. 

The favorites of nature are indeed seldom those of fortune. 
But since we possess not the power of organizing ourselves, wis- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 49 

dom consists in pursuing the course our talents and ambition point 
out to us. Our errors bring with them their penalties, and in the 
course of time we are corrected. The noblest natures have some- 
times been those which have committed the greatest faults ; as the 
sun has shone with more brilliancy after being obscured by clouds. 

The Americans begin to excite respect and interest. Their war, 
so calamitous in its existence, has produced beneficial results. 
My compatriots enjoy a degree of consideration abroad which was 
long denied them. They are admitted by their proud enemy into 
the scale of nations. American institutions, government, manners, 
climate, etc., etc., have become the subject of inquiry and con- 
cern. I feel some little complacency in pronouncing myself an 
individual of a country which every one seems to think will one 
day be great. I contribute my mite of applause to the valor of its 
defender and the wisdom of its councils. Vive la ftatrie / I 
exaggerate when I descant on its amusements, since whatever may 
be the great destinies which Baltimore may develop, its pleasures 
have not yet dawned. Patriotism induces me to draw a veil over 
the defects of my country, and policy as well as fashion dictate 
patriotic feelings. The British are, as they modestly confess, the 
greatest nation in the world. We must acknowledge that their 
monstrous vanity is excusable when we know that their gold, their 
armies, and their councils have successfully directed the efforts of 
combined Europe against the man whose talents menaced their ex- 
istence. He was the object of their admiration and dread, and 
they have in him subverted the glory, the existence of France as a 
nation. They do not in England pretend to revile Napoleon, as 
some persons in America have done. His stupendous abilities are 
admitted — his misfortunes almost respected by his enemies. I 
listen silently to any discussion in which he bears a part. I easily 
perceive that he has more justice done him here than with us. 

Mr. Beasley has written several times to me, offering his services. 
Mr. Rubel writes me from Stockholm Mr. de Caramon is made 
charge d'affaires at the Hague, and has written me in the most 
friendly manner. Mrs. Glennie, too, has written. All the Ameri- 
cans in Europe, except Mrs. Mansfield, have been very civil. Mr. 
and Mrs. Mansfield have said that their letters from America all say 
that I came away without even informing my family, and that my 
3 



50 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

poor child is in great distress. Her mother advised me to come 
constantly ; she never ceased telling me I was a fool to stay in 
America, and she has written her dear Molly that it was improper 
for me to come. Aunt ever was an old hypocrite, and her con- 
duct on this occasion proves that deceit and wickedness will go 
with her to the other world. She was never easy until she got me 
married, and ever since she has been advising me to leave America. 
As to Mansfield, he is only afraid that I will write to Baltimore a 
true account of his entire insignificance in London. I know no 
one who has ever seen him, and they are in no society. I heard 
what they said of me through a secondary sort of person, but in 
fact their company and mine are very different, which is the reason 
they do not like to hear of my arrival. I shall certainly let their 
friends in Baltimore know what great personages they are in this 
country. They may rest assured I will ; since they chatter about 
me, I must tell the truth about their consequence here. Aunt is 
too bad in first advising me to come and then writing stories. 
Adieu, dear sir, yours affectionately, 

E. B. 

Mr. Patterson's reply to this is interesting. 



WILLIAM PATTERSON TO MADAME BONAPARTE. 

13th December, 1815. 
Dear Betsy — Since I wrote you on the 16th ult., in answer 

to yours of 2d of September I have received your two 

letters of 22d August and 23d September, with all the notes and 
tickets accompanying the last. They have been seen or heard of by 
no person but myself, and, to be candid with you, I would have 
been ashamed to expose them to any one else. From those letters, 
as well as the former, I am persuaded you are pursuing a wrong 
course for happiness ; but I hope and pray you may soon perceive 
your mistake, and that you will look to your mother-country as 
the only place where you can be really respected, for what will the 
world think of a woman who had recently followed her mother and 
her last sister to the grave, had quit her father's house, where duty 
and necessity called for her attentions as the only female of the 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 51 

family left, and thought proper to abandon all to seek for admiration 
in foreign countries ; surely the most charitable construction that 
can be given to such conduct is to suppose that it must proceed 
in some degree from a state of insanity, for it cannot be supposed 
that any rational being could act a part so very inconsistent and 
improper. 

I am, dear Betsy, 

Yours very sincerely, 

W. P. 



In the winter of 1815— * 16, Madame Bonaparte visited 
Paris, whose pleasures she had so long anticipated. 
The empire had fallen ; but Paris was gayer and more 
brilliant now than ever during the empire. The giddy 
Parisians, who had clamored for the blood of the best of 
the Bourbons, hailed with joy the restoration of the 
weakest of the family, and it was in the midst of the fes- 
tivities attending this Madame Bonaparte arrived in 
Paris, and entered immediately upon the life most to 
her taste. Her success was greater than that ever before 
enjoyed there by any American woman. Her sufferings 
had made her a heroine, and her grace and beauty now 
made her a social queen. 

Louis XVIII. expressed a wish to see her at court, 
but she declined to be presented, saying that, as she had 
received a pension from the emperor, she would not 
appear at the court of his successor, ingratitude not 
being one of her vices. The Duke of Wellington was 
among her admirers, Talleyrand praised her wit, Ma- 
dame de Stael extolled her beauty, and the leading 
men of the time sought her acquaintance. She met 
Chateaubriand, who had returned from his sentimental 



52 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

pilgrimage to the East, Sismondi, Humboldt, Canova, 
the Duchess de Duras, and other celebrated men and 
women, who hastened to Paris after the restoration. 
The gay life she was then leading did not allow her 
much time for correspondence, and we find only one 
brief letter from her during this period. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, 22 February, 1816. 
Dear Sir — I have received your letters by Triplicate. As all 
mine are liable to be opened and published, I wish you would have 
the goodness to avoid mentioning such things as you have done. 
I am really pained at your sentiments respecting the course I have 
pursued. It is the only one which can make me happy, and was 
adopted after the experience and reflection of my whole life. I 
am not half as foolish as you imagine, or I should, perhaps, 
have been more contented. There is but one single chance of se- 
curing tranquillity for the future years which I may have to live, 
that is, to remain in Europe. I can never be satisfied in America. 
It was always my misfortune to be unfitted for the modes of exis- 
tence there, nor can I return to them without a sacrifice of all I 
value on earth. I have everything necessary to my complete suc- 
cess, except money. I possess the means of commanding every- 
thing else. I preserve amidst the corruption, the pleasures, the 
liberty of Paris, the most irreproachable conduct. I have the cour- 
age to submit to every privation when a departure from the strict- 
est propriety is required. I form no plans, I try to hope that some 
unexpected happiness may continue me where alone I attach value 
to existence. The ex-King of Westphalia is now living at the 
court of Wiirtemberg. He has a large fortune, and is too mean 
to support his own son. He ought to pay you your money. 
I remain, sir, affectionately yours, 

E., etc., etc. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 53 



CHAPTER IV. 

Madame Bonaparte returns to America. — Her Third Visit to Europe. — Pauline 
Bonaparte. — John Jacob Astor. — An Invitation by the Princess Borghese 
to visit Italy. — i8i9-'20. 

NOTWITHSTANDING Madame Bonaparte's repeated dec- 
larations that she could not be happy in America, she 
returned to her native city of Baltimore in the summer 
of 1 8 16, where she remained until the first of May, 
1 8 19. Then, with her son, she again sailed for Europe, 
and, after a tedious voyage of seven weeks, arrived at 
Amsterdam on the 25th of June, whence they started in 
a private conveyance for Geneva, where Jerome was to 
continue his education. The expenses of the journey, 
amounting to seventy-five guineas, were duly reported 
by Jerome to his grandfather, Mr. Patterson. Imme- 
diately upon their arrival in Geneva, Madame Bona- 
parte became the recipient of attentions from the most 
distinguished people who were residing at the time in 
that city. Among others, were the step-son of the 
Duke of Kent (father of Queen Victoria) ; the Princess 
Potempkin, of one of the oldest families in Russia ; 
Princess Galitzin ; and Prince Demidoff, then the wealth- 
iest noble in Europe, whose ancestor was originally a 
Russian serf, who fled from his native village to avoid 



54 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

conscription, and laid the foundation of his immense 
fortune by the manufacture of arms during the reign of 
Peter the Great. 

The young Jerome Bonaparte kept up a frequent cor- 
respondence with his grandfather Patterson during this 
visit. In his first letter after arriving at Geneva he says 
the Princess Potempkin had sent another princess to his 
mother, inviting her to her country-seat near the city ; 
and that, after placing him at a boarding-school, she 
was to take up her residence one mile from the town 
for two months. 

The first letter that we have from Madame Bonaparte 
after her return to Europe is dated Geneva, April 10, 
1820. In it she informs her father that the Princess 
Borghese (Pauline Bonaparte, Jerome's sister) had sig- 
nified, through Mr. John Jacob Astor, her desire to see 
herself and Jerome in Rome. She gives also a descrip- 
tion of the Bonaparte family then residing in Italy. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

10 April, 1820. 
Dear Sir : . . . . Two weeks ago I received a letter from Mr. 
Astor, of New York, who spent a month last summer in the same 
boarding-house with me in this country, which he left for Italy in 
the autumn. His letter, dated Rome, 15th of March, contains : 
" Last evening we had the honor of an introduction to the Princess 

B , who immediately inquired after you and your son. When 

I informed her that I had left you at Geneva, she expressed much 
regret at your not" having made the journey with us. She then 
said : ' I am very happy to find an opportunity of speaking frankly 
to you. I wish very much to see Madame P. and her son here. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 55 

I have spoken to Mr. Russell and Commodore Stewart ; both 

promised me to speak and write to Mrs. P , but as yet I have 

no account of them or her. My object is to make some provision 
for the son of my brother, who is poor and can give him nothing. 
I am rich and have no child, and find in myself every disposition 
to do everything for him.' She requested me to write to you with- 
out delay in her name, to invite you to make her a visit, and to 
bring your son." 

Having never heard either from Russell or Stewart — your letter 
of February 26th not having reached me, nor that to which you 
allude as having sent some days previously, directed to the care 
of Vanbaggan, Parker & Dixon (the latter not now arrived) — I 
wrote the letter to the princess, copy of which I inclose to you. 
I made every inquiry concerning her circumstances, disposition, 
and mode of life. She has, perhaps, some fortune of her own. 
Her husband has been compelled to make her an allowance (which, 
I presume, is only for her life). They are separated, but not di- 
vorced. She is about thirty-seven years of age, the handsomest 
woman in Europe of her age, excessively luxurious, consequently 
expensive in her habits, said to be extremely capricious in her at- 
tachments. They are a sort of state prisoners, who can move only 
with the permission of the sovereigns of Europe, and the wife of 
Joseph was refused permission to inhabit her chateau in Switzer- 
land last summer. My opinion is that I should go to the princess 
myself in the autumn for three months, that Cricket should be left 
at his present boarding-school, as his education is the only certain 
fortune which I can calculate on for him, that he should remain 
ignorant of the expectations which are held out to him, and on 
which I think there is no reliance to be placed, until he has ac- 
quired sufficient instruction to enable him to pursue some useful 
and honorable occupation in life. She is perhaps sincere in her 
present intentions, but the fortune of a pretty woman of thirty- 
seven is a bad object of calculation for nephews, and nothing but 
an irrevocable deed would make me found any hopes sufficient to 
authorize a change in my mode of education. If I were to take 
the child to a palace, he would naturally prefer pleasure to study : 
the habits of the Italians are delightful, but do not lead to perso- 
nal distinction. Once there I might not be permited to take him 



56 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

out of the country, the present favorable dispositions of the prin- 
cess might vary, the means of education are very inferior to those 
I find here, admitting that my present authority should remain en- 
tire, which is not very probable. Suppose that she should secure 
the half of her property to him, he could not expect to possess it 
during her life, and in all human probability he will be sixty before 
he inherits. In the meantime, he must live, and without an educa- 
tion he would find himself condemned to dependence on the ca- 
price of others. 

My wish is, then, to educate him with the idea that he has his for- 
tune to acquire by his own exertions, but at the same time to profit 
by all the good intentions of his relations in a way that will not 
interfere with his attainment of personal distinction, which, after 
all, is better than money, and which will always command it. The 
uncertainty of events in this century confirms me in the opinion 
that the only certain fortune parents can give their posterity is 
some lucrative and respectable profession, such as the law, which 
renders them at the same time proper for foreign embassies or the 
situation of statesmen at home. 

My present plan is a good one, and has obtained the approba- 
tion of the most enlightened men here : it is to give him a tincture 
of Greek, considerable knowledge of Latin and mathematics, per- 
fect acquaintance with the French and English languages, after 
which he will pursue a course of chemistry, physics, etc., before 
commencing his study of jurisprudence. History, mythology, 
geography, of course form part of his studies at present, with 
drawing, equitation, fencing, and dancing. Politeness, etc., usage 
du monde, are not neglected. He goes to a ball on Saturday even- 
ings, where he meets some of the first persons in Europe. Sunday 
is devoted to exercise and visits. I am not sparing of advice re- 
specting the necessity of application to his studies, and I inquire 
constantly of his preceptors into the mode of tuition. In short, if 
he should prove ignorant and insignificant, the fault will not be 
mine. I spare neither money nor personal exertions to procure 
for him every possible advantage and to conscientiously fulfil my 
maternal duties. 

I hope he will reward by his success all my cares, and I rejoice 
that I have no more children to toil after, never having envied any 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 57 

one the honor of being a mother of a family, which is generally a 
thankless position. 

The desire of the princess for my residence with her offers many 
advantages and disadvantages. Rome is a delightful place ; she 
occupies a superb palace, receives the homage of all strangers of 
distinction : pleasure is the sole pursuit in Italy. Her modes of 
existence are magnificent, although capricious and spoiled by adu- 
lation, which in a beautiful woman and a princess is very natural. 
They say she is good aufond. I should prefer Rome to Geneva, a 
palace to my apartment, strangers of distinction to my present re- 
sources, pleasure to work, elegance to economy, my liberty to all 
these attractions, and the interests of my child to every other con- 
sideration. I expect her answer to my letter, which will decide my 
departure. I shall remain three months near her ; my object is 
to judge by my own eyes and ears, to engage a continuation of her 
present friendship for the child, and to convince her of the neces- 
sity of letting him pursue his education here for three or four years. 
It appears to me that this project is more reasonable than taking 
him from his studies upon a promise which will most probably 
never be performed, and exposing him to the danger of contract- 
ing habits of expense entirely unsuitable to my means of expendi- 
ture, at the same time losing the most valuable part of his life in 
idleness ; the consequence would be that, after having spoiled him, 
he would be left to me to support. I cannot say that I have the 
least reliance upon that family, although I am disposed to recipro- 
cate their kind words and receive their offers of friendship without 
allowing myself to be deceived by either. They are less wealthy 
than is supposed ; they are all extravagant and disposed to promise 
more than they give ; at least, if I may judge of the future by my 
past knowledge of their generosity, the child has nothing to expect 
from them. This conviction does not prevent my acceptance of the 
invitation, which, if it does me no good, can produce no evil result to 
me, but I cannot consistently with my ideas of propriety expose my 
son to the danger of losing his time in a country where amusement 
is the sole pursuit. Three years will produce great changes. It is 
not prudent for him to change his place of residence at the present 
moment ; if he joins them, he will be obliged to share their captivity; 
at present he is considered as entirely separated from their desti- 



58 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

nies, which are very fluctuating and completely under the domi- 
nion of others. My resolution is uninfluenced by personal feelings, 
never having felt the least resentment toward any individual of that 
family, who certainly injured me, but not from motives which 
could offend me: I was sacrificed to political considerations, not 
to the gratification of bad feelings, and under the pressure of in- 
supportable disappointment became not unjust. 

I believe some of them are amiable; but when there is question 
of parting with money, good-will is generally exposed to a great 
trial, and it is most discreet for persons to rely on their own exer- 
tions when they possess sufficient capacity to exist independently. 
I have observed nothing positive in the offers held out to me ; it is 
politic to appear to confide in them, and wise to act as if they had 
not been made. I have not communicated a syllable to the child, 
desirous of saving him the pain of disappointment, and anxious to 
preserve in him assiduity to his studies, and to impress him with 
the useful knowledge of economy. 

Adieu, sir, 

Yours affectionately, 

E. 

The letter addressed to the Princess Borghese by Ma- 
dame Bonaparte, alluded to in the foregoing, was as 
follows : 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO THE PRINCESS BORGHESE. 

Geneve, 25 Mars, 1820. 

Madame — Monsieur Astor m'a ecrit qu'apres avoir eu l'honneur 
d'etre presente a votre altesse, vous avez eu la bonte de vous infor- 
mer de mon fils et de moi, et que vous avez en meme temps expri- 
me le desir de nous voir. Sans etre ainsi assuree de l'interet que 
vous daignez temoigner a nous, je ne me serais pas permise de vous 
ecrire maintenant. 

Les intentions genereuses dont Mr. Astor m'a fait part m'ont 
penetree de reconnaissance, et augmentent le regret que je ressens 
de ne pas avoir l'avantage de vous connaitre personnellement. 
Mon but en venant a Geneve est de procurer a mon fils les moyens 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 59 

d'une education distinguee qui ne se trouve point en Ame'rique, et 
de trouver le genre de vie simple qui convient a la destinee que je 
puis lui offrir. Je l'ai eleve a savoir que j'ai peu de fortune a 
lui donner, et que son rang dans le monde ne dependra que de ses 
propres efforts. Convaincue que c'est un des plus grand malheurs 
d'avoir des pretensions sans esperances, j'ai tache d'eloigner de lui 
de fausses idees d'ambition, et de dinger celles qu'il possede a la 
culture de ses moyens intellectuels. Sans peut-etre posseder une 
grande capacite, il en a cependant assez pour parvenir par le tra- 
vail a un rang honorable dans la societe. Jusqu'a present je n'ai 
pas eu a me plaindre de son zele. Mon premier desir, comme 
mon premier devoir, est de lui donner une education distinguee ; 
j'en trouve tous les moyens a Geneve, j'y suis venue pour cela, et 
j'y reste pour y veiller. Cela ne m'empechera pas de faire le 
voyage d'ltalie dans quelques mois d'ici, pour vous dire, madame, 
combien je suis touchee de l'inte'ret que vous voulez bien prendre a 
mon fils, et vous temoigner ma reconnaissance. Je vous aurais 
meme presente mon fils, si j'§tais moins decide a ne jamais inter- 
rompre son education. Le merite personnel est la seule chose 
digne de son nom que je puis lui laisser : voila pourquoi une bonne 
education est le premier soin de mon cceur. Ni Mr. Russell, ni le 
Capn. Stuard (sic), ne m'ont ecrit. J'imagine qu'ils ignoraient mon 
depart des lltats Unis. 

Agreez, madame, l'homage des sentimens distingues, et la vive 
reconnaissance avec laquelle j'ai l'honneur d'etre de votre altesse, 
la tres humble et tres obeissante servante. 

Elizabeth Patterson. 

TRANSLATION. 

Geneva, 25th March, 1820. 
Madame — Mr. Astor wrote to me that, after having had the honor 
of being presented to your Highness, you had the goodness to ask 
about my son and about myself, and that you had at the same time 
expressed your desire to see us : without being thus assured of the 
interest you have condescended to express about us, I would not 
have taken the liberty of writing to you at present. The generous 
intentions which Mr. Astor made me acquainted with have filled 



60 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

me with gratitude, and have increased my regret that I have not 
had the advantage of your personal acquaintance. 

My object in coming to Geneva is to procure for my son the 
means of education suitable to his rank, which I could not find in 
America, and to find simple kind of life which would accord with 
the destiny* I have to offer him. I have taught him to know that I 
have very little fortune to give him, and that his rank will depend 
upon his own efforts. Convinced that it is one of the greatest mis- 
fortunes to have pretensions without hopes, I have tried to remove 
from him false ideas of ambition, and to direct him to the cultiva- 
tion of intellectual pursuits. Without perhaps possessing great 
talents, he is capable of arriving by his own efforts at an honorable 
station in society. So far I have nothing to complain of as to 
his application. My first desire, as it is my first duty, is to give him 
an especially excellent education suitable to his rank. I have 
found means of doing so at Geneva. I came for that purpose, and 
shall stay here to accomplish it. This will not prevent me from 
making a voyage to Italy a few months hence, for the purpose of 
telling you, madame, how I am touched by the interest you have 
taken in my son, and of expressing to you my gratitude. 

I would at the same time present my son, if I had not decided 
not to interrupt his education. Personal merit is the only thing 
worthy of his name that I can leave him. This is the reason why 
a good education is the first desire of my heart. 

Neither Mr. Russell nor Captain Stewart has written to me. I 
imagine that they do not know that I have left America. 

Accept, madame, the respectful assurance and lively recognitions 
with which I have the honor to be your Highness' most humble 
and most obedient servant, 

Elizabeth Patterson. 

On the 23d of April Mr. Astor wrote to Madame 
Bonaparte from Florence, as follows : 

Your letter to the Princess I received at Rome, and gave it to 
her myself ; the day after she sent a friend to me to inquire about 
your circumstances. I told her what I thought was the case : that 
your father is very wealthy, but that his property consisted chiefly 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 6 1 

in houses and lands, which at present did not produce much ; that 
he has a large family, say seven besides yourself ; and that I be- 
lieved you had to economize to educate your son. I was then 
asked whether you did not receive anything from the King of 
Westphalia. I said I was pretty sure you never received a dollar 
from him. Then the emperor was mentioned. I said I knew that 
he once made some provision, but that it had long been withdrawn. 
The result was that the person did not know what the princess 
would do, and you know I had no right to inquire farther. My 
own opinion is that she feels an interest in your son, and I suppose 
that under certain circumstances would do something for him. I 
presume she would wish to have him, but I give it as my opinion 
that at present you would not give him up to any one. 

She has your letter. I think you will do well to depend on your- 
self and keep your son steady to his education. She was quite 
unwell when I left Rome, so much so that I could not see her to 
take leave. Your son will have sense enough not to be flattered 
with prospects which may prove vain. 

John Jacob Astor. 

In her next letter to her father, Madame Bonaparte 
again alludes to the Princess Borghese's invitation, and 
at the same time expresses her want of confidence in 
her promises to do anything for her son. She also gives 
a very nattering account of " Bo," and fears there is 
no pecuniary advantage to be derived from his father ; 
but at the same time she thinks it is better to remain on 
good terms with all the family. 

With her economical ideas, she dwells with regret 
upon the fact that education is very dear in Geneva, 
but she is determined to spare no expense, believing this 
to be the best gift she can bestow upon her son. 



62 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



MME. BONAPARTE TO WM. PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 25th of April, 1820, 
Dear Sir — Your letter of 29th of February, enclosing one from 
Miss Spear and a copy of Mr. Harper's communication, has 
reached me to-day. I received a duplicate of the same in your 
letter of the 26th February, to which I replied two weeks ago, en- 
closing you a copy of my letter to the Princess B , which I had 

written immediately after the reception of Mr. Astor's letter from 
Rome, in which he invited me in her name to go to Italy. There 
was no mention in her conversation with him of any intention of 
making a deed or securing in any form a part of her property. 
Had I received Mr. Harper's information before writing to her, I 
should have taken it for the text of my letter, and written exactly 
as if I believed it. I shall wait now a few days to give her time to 
write to me, and if I do not hear from her, I shall write another 
letter saying I have heard from Col. Raoul in America, and that I 
accept most gratefully her offers, that I shall go to her in the au- 
tumn and consult her whether it is not better to continue the child 
where he is. 

The fact is that these offers are not at all to be relied on, and I 
almost regret they have been made, as they place me in a very 
perplexing situation. If the child were five years older, and his 
education finished, I should set out with him immediately. He is 
now making a progress in everything ; he thinks he has nothing to 
depend on but his own industry. I have taken an apartment for 
two years and bought all my furniture, and, as I have effected a 
sort of popularity in the best society, I can maintain a more agree- 
able position here than any other stranger has ever done at so 
small an expense. Travelling is a great expense. The princess is' 
said to be very capricious ; if I take him there, I shall not find the 
same means of instruction, and very probably he will, like all other 
young persons, have his head turned by the splendor of his great 
connections, and I fancy he will be rich enough to dispense with 
study ; he will be spoiled for any common pursuits, and perhaps be 
left to live on my scanty means, as I fear there is little reliance to 
be placed on their promises. It is very unfortunate for him and 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 63 

me that they have so unseasonably recollected us ; it agitates me 
uselessly. 

I am desirous to profit by every remote chance of wealth for 
him, and at the same time conscious that a good education is the 
only certain advantage I can command for him. I wish to make 
him acquainted with the old lady, of whom, by the way, I have heard 
nothing ; and if I take him there it will not be in my power per- 
haps to bring him here again, as none of that family are allowed to 
come here, and once received by them, he will be considered as one 
of them. The French Charge at Amsterdam refused me a passport 
for him to travel through France, which would have been a shorter 
route to this place : he said his resemblance to the emperor was 
so striking that it would expose me to great inconvenience in that 
country, and that he could not accord him a passport without first 
stating this fact to the government and obtaining their decision. 

In this country the higher class are opposed to that dynasty, 
as they prefer being a republic ; the lower have lost their com- 
merce, and the exportation of watches, jewelry, etc., to France, for 
which reason they regret their independence. The higher classes 
here are very aristocratic, and it is more difficult to obtain access to 
their society than in any other country. For whatever cause it may 
be, I have been better received than any other stranger of greater 
rank or infinitely greater wealth has ever been. They say they 
never did as much for any one before, and I have been obliged 
to entreat them not to invite my son every evening 

The fact is my task is no easy one ; this child has more conver- 
sation and better manners, a more graceful presentation, than 
other children of his age, consequently he excites more attention, 
and I am constantly tormented with the fear of seeing him spoiled 
by the compliments paid him in society, of which if I compel him 
to abandon he will lose the ease and habits of politeness so diffi- 
cult to acquire at a later period. He has grown taller and much 
better looking ; he is thought very handsome, but I do not myself 
think him by any means a beauty, and regret that others tell him 
so, as it is a kind of praise which never made any one better or 
happier. I do not think there is any confidence to be placed in 
expectations from his father's family ; they are less wealthy than 
reported to be. I have seen a person who lived years with the 



64 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

mother, who, she says, is a woman of sense and great fortitude ; 
that her fortune cannot be immense, as, although a great econo- 
mist, she was obliged to spend great part of her income. 

The princess has a large income from her husband, who was 
forced to make her an allowance much against his inclination. 

The King of W. spends everything he can get hold of, and will 
keep up kingly state until his expended means leave him a beggar. 
He has never taken the slightest notice of his son, and is said to be 
as extravagant and thoughtless as he was fifteen years ago. He 
buys houses and then leaves them, and is less popular than any of 
his family. 

Joseph is said to be the richest, and is a man of sense ; his family 
are not allowed to inhabit their chateau in Switzerland. I know 
Bo has written to you for money to buy a horse, which I beg you 
not to send him. He pretends it will be more economical for him 
to keep a horse than for me to pay nine francs per week for riding 
lessons ; but I prefer paying twice that sum rather than allow him 
to ride about the country. 

He has been very ingenious in finding reasons of economy for 
this arrangement, but I have stopped his eloquence by positively 
assuring him that I would rather pay for a lesson every day, than 
allow him to ride gratis by the year. Bo has lessons of every kind ; 
his hours of recreation are filled by dancing, fencing, and riding ; 
Sundays are exclusively devoted to exercise. In short, I trust and 
hope his time is spent profitably. I am not laconic when counsel 
is wanting, which prevents him from forgetting his English. He 
speaks French very fluently, as he takes all his lessons in this lan- 
guage, the knowledge of which I always considered highly impor- 
tant in his circumstances. 

I expect every day an answer to my letter, sent enclosed to Mr. 
Astor. I shall not neglect to keep up the correspondence during 
the summer. It is impossible to travel in that country in the sum- *• 
mer season, even if I were well enough to go now, which I am not, 
having been very unwell for the last two months. I am looking 
out for some travelling companions for the autumn, as I shall pos- 
itively go, unless they write me not to come. There is certainly 
no doubt of the policy of my keeping the child on the best possi* 
ble terms with them ; one can lose nothing by that. I shall write 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 6^ 

and act as if I firmly believed there was something to expect, 
although I confess I am not sanguine on the subject, distrusting 
all good which I do not find perceptible to the touch. 

If I do not take him instantly, it is because I do not think it ad- 
visable for him, as my own convenience is not considered, certainly, 
in such a determination. My acquaintances and intimates here 
are elderly people, who, altho' they suit me very well, are surprised 
at the soberness of my taste, and altho' I am really obliged to 
them for their kindness to me, I can readily imagine that Italy is 
more agreeable, and should like very well to live there. There is 
nothing like this town, however, for young men. Instruction of 
the best kind, good company, economy, and no vice ; no idleness 
among the inhabitants, greater morality than in any other country 
among the higher classes — the lower interested and disposed to 
cheat when they meet with good subjects for stripping. I cannot 
complain of being more duped than other strangers, however. 

Education here is by no means gratuitous. I pay 6 louis per 
month, and all the lessons d'agrement besides, which are 3 frs. per 
lesson independently of extra sums for which there is no agreement 
made ; in short, the whole amount with his clothes is fully 5,000 
francs per annum. There is no method of lessening this expense, 
or I should find it out probably as soon as another. My resolution 
is to spare no expense on education ; it is a bad calculation, because 
it is the only advantage over which circumstances have no power. 
The child does not yet know a syllable of my correspondence ; it 
is a pity to give him false hopes on the subject. 

I think I must make him, however, write a letter to the old lady, 
to jog her memory. 

There is a son of Sir Robert and Lady Wilmot going out with 
the British ambassador. I have given him a letter to Robert Gil- 
mor. I know his mother and father, to whom I gave the letter 
here, not knowing the young man. If you should be giving a family 
dinner, you might invite him ; but I do not advise people to take 
any trouble about strangers, as they are very ungrateful in general, 
and their acquaintance of no great advantage unless one has 
daughters to get rid of. 

Adieu, sir, 

Yours affectionatelv. 



66 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

In the following letter to Mr. Gilmor, of Baltimore, 
Madame Bonaparte solicits his kind attentions for Mr. 
Wilmot, to whom allusion has just been made. 



MME. BONAPARTE TO ROBERT GILMOR. 

Geneva, 22 April, 1820. 

My Dear Mr. Gilmor — You will certainly meet Mr. Wilmot, 
who is one of the British Embassy to America ; but, as I have the 
advantage of knowing Sir Robert and Lady Wilmot personally, I 
solicit for this gentleman any services you may have in your power 
to render him. There is no person in Baltimore to whom I would 
sooner address a distinguished stranger than to you. If my father 
should be in town when you receive this letter, I beg you to make 
him acquainted with Mr. Wilmot. I do not write him by the pres- 
ent occasion, having written a few days since. 

I found the Willinks, of Amsterdam, very agreeable and useful 
acquaintances during my short residence in their country ; I thank 
you infinitely for your letters to them. 

This country me convient assez, bonne societe, beaucoup de 
soirees, et tous les moyens d'une education distinguee pour mon 
fils.* I am uncertain whether I shall pass my next winter in Italy. 
I rather incline towards repose in Geneva, being fatigued with trav- 
elling and new societies. I have not had the pleasure of seeing Mr. 
Wilmot, but I have the advantage of meeting frequently his mother, 
Lady Wilmot, who is a very charming person, and, like Mrs. Gil- 
mor, a beauty. I find great satisfaction in recalling myself to 
your recollection and friendship, of which I solicit the continuance. 
Adieu, sir ; make my compliments agreeable to Mrs. Gilmor, and 
believe me, with sincerity, your obliged, &c. 

Elizabeth Patterson. 

* [This country suits me well enough ; the society is good, there are any 
number of soirees, and every means are offered for a finished education for 
my son.] 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 67 



CHAPTER V. 

Madame Bonaparte's Life in Geneva. — Lady Morgan. — Madame Mere.— 
Joseph Bonaparte. — The Princess Borghese and Mr. Astor. — Madame 
Bonaparte in Rome. — Kind Reception. — Proposed Marriage of Jerome to 
his Cousin Charlotte. — The ex-King of Westphalia. — Pauline Bonaparte. 
—1820. 

THE greater part of Madame Bonaparte's correspond- 
ence during the spring and early summer of 1820 related 
to the invitation to Jerome to visit his father's family in 
Rome. While she seriously objected to interrupting 
his education, she did not wish to lose the opportunity 
of his becoming acquainted with his relatives, from whom 
she hoped he might gain some pecuniary and social ad- 
vantages. Madame Bonaparte limited her expenses 
while in Geneva to $3,000 a year. She had lodgings in 
a boarding-house and paid $60 per month. 

An extract from a letter from Jerome to his grand- 
father gives us an accurate description of her style of 
living at this time. " Mamma lives now in town, in the 
cheapest way possible, on account of the troubles in 
Baltimore. She has no man-servant, but one single 
woman, who does the business of waiter and femme de 
chambre ; as for the cleaning of the apartment, which 
consists of four rooms, a parlor, bedroom for mamma, 



68 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

another for myself, and a fourth for the maid, that is 
very trifling. Her meals are furnished by a woman for 
a certain price per month." Her income did not allow 
her to keep a carriage at this time. Notwithstanding 
this plain and economical mode of life, Madame Bona- 
parte's personal attractions made her courted, and she 
was invited everywhere. 

MME. BONAPARTE TO WM. PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 8th of May, 1820. 

Dear Sir — I sent copies of my letters to the princess, and Mr. 
Astor's letters to me, to show you that he coincides in opinion with 
me that there is nothing to be expected from that family. 

Lady Morgan arrived here a few days since. She left Rome the 
first of April ; was very intimate with the princess whilst there, 
who spoke to her of her desire to see us in Rome, but did not 
mention any intention of either offering her house or making any 
provision for Bo. She desired Lady Morgan to write to me to 
come there, and expressed her interest in us. Lady Morgan de- 
scribes her extravagance as boundless. She keeps up the state of 
a queen, and is not at all to be relied on, as she is perfectly capri- 
cious, and will spend her whole fortune before a great while, and 
perhaps much more than her own. Lady M. says I would be mad 
to take the child there : that his education would be sacrificed ; 
that he would adopt the most absurd ideas of his own greatness, 
as they all call themselves Majesty and Highness, and expect to re- 
turn to France as they were formerly ; that there is not the least 
dependence to be placed on her promises, which she makes to get 
us there, because she hates the Queen of W. and her brother Je- 
rome, who have both behaved very unfeelingly to the family since 
their dethronement, whom they seem now anxious to cut, and have 
ceased all correspondence with them. That she perhaps thinks 
she takes an interest in the child, but that it would be highly im- 
prudent in me to take him to Italy, as their situation there is very 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 69 

insecure ; and that she, Lady Morgan, believes the child has noth- 
ing to rely on but his own merit, and that all hopes of fortune from 
that family would prove illusory. 

She says the old lady has sense and dignity ; that, if she had 
promised, she would place greater confidence, but that she said 
nothing on the subject, and that it is more than probable she will 
have very little to leave ; and I think it more natural she should 
leave what little she has to her own children, who are all helpless 
and expensive, than to grandchildren. Lady Morgan knows the 
princess perfectly well, as she took a great fancy to her and invited 
her on all occasions. She told the princess that Jerome had re- 
fused to do anything for his son, even to pay for his education ; 
therefore she knew very well everything on this subject before she 
had Mr. Astor questioned. She told Lady M. that she had heard 
that I was like her, and asked her if she saw the resemblance. 
Lady M. is one of the shrewdest women in Europe, and her opin- 
ion is perfectly to be relied on. She knows the value of money as 
well as any one, and when it is worth while to put oneself in the 
way of getting it. She thinks the princess would like to have Bo 
with her to provoke the Queen of W., but she is firmly of opinion 
that he would be ruined for every purpose of life if taken to her, 
and that he should be kept where he is, if it is intended that he 
should pursue a profession as a maintenance ; that there is nothing 
to expect from the princess or any of them. 

I saw a lady who had spent many years in the family — she told 
me exactly the same thing ; her opinion of the princess is exactly 
like that of Lady Morgan, and both these persons are opposed 
to the present royal family of France, and disposed to like the 
others, so that I think I may rely on their testimony. I have also 
consulted a gentleman here of the same politics — an old man. He 
says that unless I have a fortune of my own to give the child it 
would be madness to interrupt his education, as he does not think 
any promises of the family to be depended on, even if they have 
wealth to leave, which is very much doubted. Joseph is the only 
certain fortune : they all have children except the princess, who 
has a life income in her husband's estate. 

I think what I always thought : that the child's only prospect of 
fortune is in his own capacity and exertions, and shall keep hinj 



70 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

closely to his studies as long as I can, so that if he proves an idler 
it will certainly not be my fault, as all this town will certify. 

Yours affectionately. 

P.S. — I am very uncertain whether it will be worth while for me 
to go to Italy next winter. 

Lady Morgan, who was the friend and correspondent 
of Madame Bonaparte for many years, was born in 
1783, and commenced her literary career at the age of 
fourteen, by publishing a volume of poems. Her " Lay 
of the Irish Harp " attracted much attention, and sug- 
gested to Tom Moore his most popular work, the " Irish 
Melodies." 

It may not be generally known that the favorite Irish 
ballad, " Kate Kearney," was written by Lady Morgan 
in her girlhood. Her novel, "The Wild Irish Girl," 
published in 1806, established her reputation, and seven 
editions were called for in two years. 

Self-educated as she was, and without any of the for- 
tuitous circumstances that enabled Lady Blessington to 
acquire an ephemeral literary success, Lady Morgan 
earned an European reputation by her own unassisted 
efforts. In the number of her works she has seldom 
been equalled by any English authoress. In her thir- 
tieth year she married Sir Charles Morgan, with whom 
she travelled through Europe, residing for several years 
in Italy, Switzerland, and France. It was in the last 
country that she met Madame Bonaparte. They were 
both brave and spirited, with the minds of men and the 
hearts of women, and this congeniality caused their 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 7 1 

acquaintance to ripen into a warm and permanent friend- 
ship, which continued uninterrupted until the death of 
Lady Morgan, in the spring of 1859. 

Madame Bonaparte met Mr. John Jacob Astor at 
Geneva, in the autumn of 1819, when he visited that 
city in order to place his son at school there. The 
acquaintance thus begun was continued, as we have 
seen, by correspondence from Rome. Mr. Astor inter- 
ested himself as a friend in the matter of the invitation 
of the Princess Borghese to Jerome to visit Rome, and 
strongly advised Madame Bonaparte against accepting 
it. Early in the summer of 1820, he returned to Ge- 
neva, when he assured Madame Bonaparte " that there 
was not the least confidence to be placed in the prom- 
ises of the Princess, and that there was not anything to 
be expected from the family." 

MME. BONAPARTE TO WM. PATTERSON. 

Geneva, June 23, 1820. 

Dear Sir — Mr. Astor is here, after having spent some time in 
the place with the Princess, having been entertained by her, and 
questioned minutely about Bo. He says that he thought at first 
that she intended doing something for the child, but that, upon fur- 
ther investigation of her character, he is of opinion that there is 
not the least confidence to be placed in her promises, and that 
he does not believe there is anything to be expected from the fam- 
ily, and advises me not to go to Rome. 

This testimony agrees with Lady Morgan's and that of a person 
here who lived for years with the mother. The old lady has never 
spoken to any one on the subject ; she is very sensible and very 
miserly, and probably will leave all she can save to her children, 
who are all spendthrifts. Lady Morgan and Mr. Astor both ad- 



72 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

vised me to remain where I am, as I should perhaps be obliged to 
stay there, and the child be a sort of prisoner of state 

The expense, too, of such a journey is out of the question, and I 
could not live there for the same sum as I can do here. As to living 
with her, they say it would be impossible, and she did not tell 
them she desired it. I have told Bo nothing on the subject, and 
have taken an apartment for two years, and bought the furniture, 
with liberty to rent the rooms for three years more if I desire it. 
Mr. Raoul must either have exceeded his commission, or the lady 
must have forgotten it. 

The Bonapartes are all alike, very affectionate in words, but 
without the least intention of parting with a farthing. Their fortune 
is less than is supposed, their expenses very great, and the chance 
is that they will spend more than they possess. At all events, they 
have been pretty well probed on my subject, and the result is that, 
if they see their nephew, they will tell him they love him, take great 
interest in him, and leave me to pay his expenses. 

I shall stay where I am, unless I find it my interest to move. 
The Princess Borghese has not answered my letter. I always was 
of opinion that she would do nothing, and Mr. Astor has come 
over to my opinion upon a further acquaintance with the family. 
He was imposed upon when he wrote me the first letter. 

I would have gone there, however, if I had not ascertained that 
the whole affair was, like their past conduct, a deception. 

Lady Morgan, who is very intimate with them, told them every- 
thing calculated to get something out of them, but finding there 
was no reliance whatever to be placed in them, she very cordially 
advised me neither to go, nor take Bo. 

Yours affectionately, 

E. P. 

The Queen of Westphalia is lying-in of another child.* 

Madame Bonaparte spent the summer of 1820 in Ge- 
neva. The town was filled with strangers, and among 
them there were princes of every nation. The little sum- 

* Prince Napoleon Bonaparte. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 73 

mer capital was unusually gay that season .; entertain- 
ments of all kinds, public and private, followed each 
other in quick succession. Jerome speaks of a " superb 
feast of eight hundred persons, where there were rockets 
and all kinds of artificial fires." Madame Bonaparte 
mingled in all these festivities. During this summer, 
Eliza Bonaparte, the Princess Bacciochi, died and left her 
children to the guardianship of her brother Jerome. 
When the news of her death reached Napoleon, at St. 
Helena, he shut himself up in a room by himself, where 
he remained for several hours. When his attendants 
were at length admitted to his presence, he said : " Yes, 
Eliza has gone — she has shown us the way. I used to 
think that death had forgotten our family, but now he 
has begun to strike. He has taken Eliza, and I shall be 
the first to follow her." He was ; for his death happened 
in less than nine months after. 

At a later period, Madame Bonaparte, having failed to 
secure the hand of Joseph's daughter for her son, inti- 
mated that the daughter of the Princess Eliza, having a 
large fortune, might be a most desirabfe match for him. 

In a letter from the boy, dated Nov. 6, 1820, he says 
in speaking of his mother : " Mamma goes out nearly 
every night to a party or a ball. She says she looks full 
ten years younger than she is, and if she had not so 
large a son she could pass for five and twenty years old. 
She has a dancing-master and takes regularly three les- 
sons a week, and has done so for the last six months ; 
is every day astonished at the progress she makes, and 
is fully determined to dance next winter. She con- 
4 



74 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

stantly regrets that she had not danced at Paris. She 
is not fully satisfied with Geneva, for the laws are very 
severe. Among others, it is positively forbidden to 
dance after midnight, or to go out of town after eleven 
o'clock at night without a particular permission from the 
chief magistrate." 

Jerome did not appreciate European life as highly as 
his mother. In one of his letters he says : " Since I have 
been in Europe I have dined with princes and princesses 
and all the great people in Europe, but I have not found 
a dish as much to my taste as the roast beef and beef- 
steaks I ate in South Street " (at the house of his grand- 
father). 

In another letter he says : "I never had any idea of 
spending my life on the continent ; on the contrary, as 
soon as my education is finished, which will not take me 
more than two years longer, I shall hasten over to 
America, which I have regretted ever since I left it." 

Madame Bonaparte continued to reside in Geneva 
during the whole of the year, until late in the autumn of 
1 82 1, and in her correspondence at this time are several 
letters of interest. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, May 22, 1821. 
Dear Sir — I beg you to do me the favor of sending the inclosed 
to the Count de Survilliers.* It is an answer to his proposal of 
my inhabiting his chateau in Switzerland. He gives me tha choice 

* Joseph Bonaparte, ex-King of Spain, who assumed this title after the fall 
of Napoleon. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 75 

of three furnished country-houses, and an order to that effect to his 
agent here. I cannot, however, accept either ; for they are too far 
from town for me, who have no carriage, and I should be melan- 
choly without society. He has been very friendly, and from what 
Mrs. Toussard writes me, he appears disposed to acknowledge and 
be fond of Bo. I have not been in Italy, nor do I propose taking 
the child, having seen at once that it would have been his ruin. I I 
have had a letter from his father, in which he informs me that his \ 
fortune is not sufficient to provide for his present family, who will i 
be taken care of by their mother ; that I might have known his 
character too well to suppose he ever thought of laying by a for- 
tune ; and that the little he did save he has been cheated out of by 
the persons he trusted. I believe he is not as bad-hearted as many 
people think, and that many of his faults and much of his bad 
conduct proceed from extravagance and folly, which are, indeed, 
the source of all evil, both to their possessors and to those about 
them. 

I endeavor to impress ideas of economy on the mind of his son ; 
which is an arduous undertaking, young people fancying generally 
that they have only to dissipate what the frugality of their ances- 
tors accumulated, and that the future will provide for itself 

The count is one of the most esteemed persons of his family, and 
I feel gratified at the interest he evinces for Bo; all the persons 
here who know him speak favorably of his character. His prop- 
erty in this country is worth at least one hundred thousand dollars, 
which brings him in no revenue whatever. Mrs. Toussard writes 
me that he speaks very affectionately of Bo, and I am sure I would 
like very much to confide him to his protection at some distant 
period, if he desired it, which can, however, scarcely be calcu- 
lated upon, or expected* as he has daughters to provide for ; and 
parents seldom find they have enough to satisfy their own posterity, 
much less to provide for that of their brothers. At all events, his 
intentions are very friendly. 

I am, dear sir, 

Yours affectionately, 

E. P. 



76 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

The Prince and Princess of Wiirtemberg are here, have invited 
me to see them, and particularly requested Bo should be presented 
to them. The prince is brother to the late king and uncle to the 
ex-Queen of Westphalia. He expressed his surprise at his resem- 
blance to the emperor, which is remarked by every one that sees 
him. 

Bo has a great capacity for mathematics, and in general has 
made a great progress in his studies. I think he will at least have 
a good head — at least the persons who teach him mathematics say 
so — he appears to learn them more easily than the languages. 

Miss Spear does not inform me of anything relating to my con- 
cerns, her last letter being dated last June. 

Bo has grown eight inches since we sailed, and is now five feet 
seven inches. 

P. S. May 23. — I have just received two letters from Miss Spear, 
one dated October, and the other March, the former enclosed in 
the latter. 

Please have the enclosed letter put in an envelope, and addressed 
to the count — it not being respectful to send a single sheet of paper 
to a person of his rank ; and the postage is too dear to allow me to 
make the package larger for Amsterdam. I should like to know 
whether you receive this. 

The Prince of Wiirtemberg, alluded to in this letter, 
was completely fascinated by the beauty and conversa- 
tion of Madame Bonaparte, and said that Jerome had 
made a great mistake in deserting so charming a woman. 
Gortschakoff remarked : " Had she been near the throne, 
the Allies would have had more difficulty in overthrow- 
ing Napoleon." Talleyrand said : " If she were a queen, 
how gracefully she would reign ! " 

In her next letter we get a glimpse of how Madame 
Bonaparte availed herself of every opportunity to in- 
crease her income, and with what prudence she man- 
aged her business affairs. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. JJ 



MME. BONAPARTE TO WM. PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 19 September, 1821. 

Dear Sir — I have this day received your letter of 24 July. Mr. 
Dixon writes me he has paid Mr. Vanderhope seven thousand five 
hundred florins on my account by your late orders. The exchange 
between Amsterdam and Geneva is always at a loss of four or five 
per cent, to me. That between London and this place gives a 
clear gain of ten or twelve per cent, to the English resident here. 
I had wished to profit by the English means of drawing my money, 
but find from Mr. Dixon that I should lose as much on the pur- 
chase of bills in America on London, as the exchange between 
England and the Continent would benefit me. Vanderhope al- 
lows me four per cent., which is also a consideration in favor 
of remitting my funds through Holland. For the present I am con- 
tent to let my business remain in his hands, but I do not wish a 
farther remittance to be made me until I write to you. It is pre- 
carious trusting large sums in the hands of individuals. I shall 
make the three thousand dollars sent by the William last a year, 
and will write to you when I desire more money. I have kept a 
regular account of Bo's expenses ; they amount to a thousand dol- 
lars in the last year. People are mistaken in supposing education 
is cheap here — it may be so to the natives, but everything is dear 
to strangers, who are cheated by all classes in this country. 

I am fully aware of the little reliance to be placed on either 
promises or expectations from the B family. They are prodi- 
gal of professions in proportion as they are sparing in actions of 
generosity. Their habits of expense make it impossible for them 
to provide for the wants of others ; but, as they say kind things, it is 
but fair they should be answered in the same way. We recipro- 
cate by all opportunities kind wishes on their part and grateful ex- 
pressions of mine — there can be nothing lost by this mutual ex- 
penditure of words, because I am too clear-sighted to be the dupe 
of ill-founded hopes. I have not changed in a single instance my 
plans. The offer of the house was something like reality of kind- 
ness. The count passes in the estimation of the world for being 
possessed of greater wealth, consistency of character and prudence 



78 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

than the others. The old lady, to do her justice, promises nothing 
more than she gives. She is said to be avaricious, which, I sup- 
pose, means that she does not spend more than her income. 
Whatever may be her means, she has immediately around her a 
\number of helpless, extravagant relations to consume her fortune 
whenever she leaves it. 

I shall perhaps go to Italy in two years, because, although I ex- 
pect no advantage from such a measure, yet it is a duty to leave 
nothing undone which offers the most remote chance of benefit. 
It would be folly to do so, if I made a sacrifice of any kind, which 
cannot be the case, as, at all events, I shall be improving Bo's 
mind by acquaintance with a country curious in itself, and inter- 
esting from his historical recollections. 

I am, dear sir, yours truly, 

E. P. 

After all her hesitation and refusals, Madame Bona- 
parte finally concluded to spend the winter of 1821-22 
in Rome, and to take her son with her ; and in a letter 
to her father gives her reasons for the step. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, October 16, 1821 
Dear Sir — I have resolved by the advice of many persons to 
spend this winter at Rome and to take Bo with me. I confess my 
own opinion is, that this step will avail him nothing, unless it be 
the conviction that there is nothing to be expected from any one 
but himself, and that his success in the world must ultimately de- 
pend on his own exertions. Nothing, however, can console me for 
the moment, for the confusion, trouble, and expense this journey 
gives me, except the consciousness of having done everything in my 
power for his advantage. I hope his education will not suffer ma- 
terially from this interruption of his studies, which I intend making 
him pursue during the few months we shall spend at Rome. He 
can get lessons there in Latin and Italian. I am perfectly sure we 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 79 

shall be equally desirous to leave Italy in the spring and to return 
to Geneva. 

My desire was to defer this experiment until he was two years 
older, but as the old lady and the princess may not live so long, 
it has been urged to me that I was allowing an occasion to escape,, 
which might be irrecoverable hereafter 

I can only add that I am grateful to the kind Providence which 
withheld from me the care of a larger family, and amidst all the 
trials and disappointments which have fallen to my share I take 
comfort to myself that I have only one child. I do believe that it 
is impossible to give children sufficient ideas of the necessity of 
economy and industry when parents are not in absolute want, and 
that it is only when they are reared in the midst of privation and 
starvation that they can be made to comprehend the folly of spend- 
ing time and money on trifles. 

I have taken three seats in a carriage which contains six passen- 
gers. The terms are fifteen Louis d'or each person hence to Rome, 
found by the driver for this sum in a seat and two meals per day, 
bed at night, and fire if wanted. I pay seven Louis d'or only 
for the maid, who sits on the box with the coachman. We must, 
however, pay something at the inn to servants, and at least three 
Louis to the coachman if content with him on our arrival, besides 
paying for the days we may desire to spend at large towns on the 
way. This bargain is said to be one of the best that has been 
made here, but I find it quite dear enough. 

It is generally my luck to be cheated in every way, in spite of 
all my endeavors to avoid imposition. My banker here advises 
me to take circular notes to save commission to a banker at Rome. 
I have consulted every one upon the loss I experience of five per 
cent, in drawing my funds through Amsterdam, whilst the English 
residents here gain twelve on the exchange between London and 
Geneva. The result is, that bills bought in Baltimore on London 
are at a loss of ten per cent.; therefore, added to the consideration 
of Vanderhope allowing me four per cent., I have lost less than if 
I had my money remitted through England. Vanderhope has ad- 
vised me of the second remittance of three thousand dollars since 
my arrival in Europe. I do not desire a farther remittance until I 
write to you to that effect, not liking to trust too much in any 



80 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

banker's hands at a time. As my return here in the spring is very 
certain, being resolved not to remain in Italy longer than the win- 
ter months, I desire that you will have the goodness to send my 
letters through the usual channel. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Yours affectionately, 

E. P. 

Bo has grown very tall, and I am persuaded he is quite as indus- 
trious and promising as other children of his age, but the solicitude 
and care of a parent are much greater than any common success 
can ever repay. His expenses are enormous ; the Genevans of all 
classes cheat strangers ; and education, when I assure you his bills 
of all kinds amounted to a thousand dollars for the last year, is 
dearer than in America. The English have doubled the price of 
everything on the continent. 

Madame Bonaparte and Jerome arrived at Rome 
about the middle of November, 1821, where, as we ascer- 
tain from the next letter, they were very kindly received 
by Madame Mere and by the princess. It was at the 
very beginning of their acquaintance, as we shall see, 
that a plan was suggested which became one of Madame 
Bonaparte's favorite schemes — the project ot a marriage 
between Jerome, now sixteen years of age, and Char- 
lotte, the youngest daughter of Joseph Bonaparte, who 
was at that time residing in America, under the name 
of the Count de Survilliers. 

Of all Napoleon's brothers, Joseph had been the most 
devoted to his interests and his ambition. This devo- 
tion commenced in their youth, when Napoleon fell in 
love with Mademoiselle Desiree Clary, sister of Joseph's 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 8l 

wife. The lady did not smile on the suit of the young 
soldier, but married General Bernadotte, and ultimately 
became Queen of Sweden. 

Joseph was his brother's confidant in this unprosper- 
ous love affair, as he was in all the most important mat- 
ters of his life. After Waterloo, he proposed to remain 
in France, and allow the emperor to escape to America, 
but the latter declined the generous offer. Joseph em- 
barked, and eluding the British cruisers, arrived safely 
in the United States, where he remained until 1830. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Rome, November 28, 1821. 

Dear Sir — We are here since two weeks. The first week I was 
too unwell to see any one, or to announce my arrival ; a cold, 
caught by crossing a mountain covered with ice at two o'clock in 
the morning, and from which I am not entirely recovered, obliged 
me to keep the house. 

The Princess B.* had heard from Florence that I was on my 



* Pauline Bonaparte (Princess Borghese), was the favorite sister of Napoleon, 
and the only one of his family who shared with him the exile of Elba, where 
she surrounded herself with some of the splendor and all of the etiquette of 
the imperial court. When Napoleon planned his return to France, Pauline 
acted as his confidante. She sacrificed her jewels in this undertaking, and in 
order to throw off suspicion gave a large party on the very night of the escape, 
at which she appeared with all the thoughtless gayety and lively conversation 
which had marked her brightest days. When all was finally lost at Waterloo, 
Pauline established herself at Rome in the Borghese Palace, which became 
one of the most hospitable houses in the Eternal City. She gave frequent 
and elegant dinner parties and weekly soirees, which were attended by the 
best of Roman society and by the most distinguished foreigners. 

At the period of Madame Bonaparte's visit, Pauline, though forty years of 
age, was still considered one of the most beautiful women in Europe. Like 
Madame Bonaparte, she was petite in figure. One of her chief charms was a 
„ * ~- - ~ ■ 



82 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

way to Rome. She wrote me a note, expressing her desire to see 
me instantly on my arrival, sent it to all the hotels in Rome, where 
I was not to be found, having taken rooms in a private house, 
until an American paying her a morning visit, she discovered my 
address. I answered her note by asking the hour her Highness 
would be pleased to receive me. She immediately sent her lady 
of honor in her carriage to convey me to the palace, since which I 
have been there every day. 

I have waited on Madam [Mere], after her expressed desire that 
I should. They have all been very kind. The princess has pre- 
sented me with an elegant ball-dress, a pink satin cloak, and a 
bonnet. She has new-dressed Bo even to his flannel jacket, and 
has promised to allow him two thousand francs, or four hundred 
dollars annually to dress himself, until he marries, when the pension 
will cease, and she will give him a capital of forty thousand francs, 
or eight thousand dollars. 

She and Madame wish Joseph to marry him to his youngest 
daughter, now in America, in which event the princess would leave 
something to him at her death. She has written this to her brother, 
and if he likes the match she wishes me to take the child out, and 
to return to live in Rome myself for company for her. 

Jerome is entirely ruined, his fortune, capital, income, every- 
thing spent, and his debts so large that his family can do nothing 
for him if they were inclined, which they are not. He has two 
children by his wife, who I suppose will be maintained by her 
family, since they have spent everything they had. The Princess 
B. says she has just income sufficient to maintain her rank, her 
husband allowing her fourteen thousand dollars annually. She 

voice of singular sweetness, and although her conversation was always light 
and trifling, yet it was easy and graceful. 

After repeated requests she obtained permission from the English govern- 
ment to go the sick-bed of her brother at St. Hel-ena, but before she had de- 
parted the news of Napoleon's death reached Europe in August, 1821. In 
her appeal to the Earl of Liverpool she said : "The malady by which the 
emperor is attacked at St. Helena is mortal. I know that the moments of his 
life are numbered, and I should eternally reproach myself if I did not employ 
all the means in my power to soften his last hours, and to prove my devotion 
to him." 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 83 

lives in great splendor in her husband's palace here during the 
winter, and at her country-house in summer. She makes many 
presents to her relations. The family of Louis will have fortunes 
from their mother. The family of the ^jr-Queen of Naples, Ma- 
dame Murat, are not rich. Madame lives in a palace in great splen- 
dor also. She has a numerous family of grandchildren. 

They are all pleased with Bo. I shall be directed by circum- 
stances, which are very mutable in this life. The marriage, I know, 
was desired by Joseph, who wrote it to the princess. She answered 
that she desired one between the son of Lucien and Joseph's 
daughter, now in America. Since our arrival she is still more anx- 
ious that my son should be the person chosen instead of Lucien's 
son, which some time ago she had desired. She has written her 
preference of my son, but whether Joseph will choose him I know 
not. Madame, knowing the state of Jerome's finances and the im- 
possibility of his ever doing anything for any one, wishes Joseph to 
provide for this child by a marriage. I have given my consent and 
promise that he shall remain with Joseph wherever he may be, but 
will not incur the expense of a sea- voyage unless Joseph writes me 
positively his intentions. This I have stated, as well as the im- 
possibility of my giving any money, my income being with great 
economy barely sufficient for my own maintenance. 

Yours truly, dear sir. 

Bo feels the propriety of doing what I please on the subject of 
the marriage, and has no foolish ideas of disposing of himself in 
the way young people do in America. 

I have taken rooms in Rome, where everything is horridly dear, 
ten guineas per month. I find there is great scarcity of money in 
all places and all families, and the great expectations and chatter- 
ings of travellers are exactly what I always supposed, nothing but 
smoke. I am very glad I came here. They have received us ex- 
tremely well, and at all events I have done my duty, which is all 
we can do in this world, where no one is for his pleasure, and 
where events baffle all schemes of prudence. No one can com- 
mand success ; wisdom consists in profiting by lucky chances. 

If the marriage is offered I mean to accept it, and as things go 
in the generalities of families, shall esteem myself fortunate in be- 



84 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

ing able to dispose of my son according to my views, instead of his 
choosing before his judgment is matured, and probably encumber- 
ing himself for life with a poor wife and clamorous offspring. Mar- 
riage ought never to be entered into for any other purpose than 
comfort, and there is none without consequence and fortune ; with- 
out these it is more prudent to live single. 

Jerome himself writes to his grandfather from Rome, 
under the date of December 21, 1821 : "I have been re- 
ceived in the kindest manner possible by my grand- 
mother, my uncles, and aunts, and cousins, and all my 
nearest and most distant relations, who are in Rome. 
We mean to stay here during the winter. ... I have 
been so much occupied in looking for apartments for 
mamma, making tight bargains, and seeing my rela- 
tions, that I have not had time to see anything of Rome, 
except St. Peter's celebrated church, which I have seen 
but superficially." He makes no allusion to the mar- 
riage which his relatives were endeavoring to effect be- 
tween himself and his cousin. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Rome, Dec. 21, 1821. 
Dear Sir — Bo has been well received by his family ; his grand- 
mother and his aunt have written to the count their desire to 
marry him immediately to his daughter now in America, and have 
asked me to take him in the spring, if the count still perseveres in 
wishing this connection, which I know he did some time ago. I 

have told the P that I have no money to give, and as his uncle 

is so rich, I imagine there will be no question of getting anything 
with the boy. It cannot be expected that I should rob myself, and 
as it is their wish to keep up the name through him, they will ar- 
range matters to support him. There is one thing, however, 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 85 

which must be insisted upon : in the event of her death before his, 
part of her fortune must be his. I cannot expose him to the in- 
convenience of contracting expensive habits, losing his education 
by marrying at this time, too, without some certain support, if he 
should be left a widower. This point must be stipulated, and if 
my health should not allow me to accompany Bo in the spring, I 
must request you to act in my place. I shall write you particu- 
larly to this effect when we receive the count's answer to his 
mother's and sister's letters. I forwarded him two through France 
from the princess immediately after my having seen the ladies. 
. . . . I am rejoiced at having brought him here, although I 
feared the experiment might prove a dangerous one. At all 
events, there will be no loss except of a few months from his edu- 
cation. I wait the arrival of the count's letters, but shall not be 
surprised at a failure of the affair. For this life there is nothing 
but disappointment. The happiest are those who support misfor- 
tune best. I find that travellers exaggerate ; there is scarcity of 
money in all families, and in all countries people have poor rela- 
tions to support. The K. W— — * is ruined, his fortune entirely 
spent ; his wife has two children. I believe they are always ask- 
ing money from his mother. She has not enough, had she ten 
times her fortune, to answer the demands of her family, who all 
address themselves to her as the fountain-head which is to supply 
twenty streams. Bo takes Latin and Italian lessons, spends every 
evening with his family, who do not go into any society beyond the 
family circle. He dines with them almost every day. He is 
grown handsome and tall ; speaks French quite as well as English. 
The old lady is a sensible, dignified person, highly respectable, 
and admired by every one. She promises nothing more than she 
performs, and raises no false expectations. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Yours affectionately, 

E. P. 

* The King of Westphalia. 



86 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



CHAPTER VI. 

Letters from Rome. — Kind Words, but no Money, from the Bonaparte Family. 
— The Matrimonial Speculation for Jerome. — The Match is approved by 
all of the Family. — Jerome returns to America. — Letter from William 
Patterson upon the Subject of the Marriage. — The Caprices of the Prin- 
cess Borghese. — Madame Bonaparte's Anxiety about her Son. — She visits 
Florence. — Last Meeting with her Husband. — Letters from Paris. — 1822. 

While in Rome, Madame Bonaparte was so wholly 
engrossed with the scheme of marrying Jerome to the 
daughter of Joseph, that she never once alluded, in any 
of her letters written at this period, to any of the usual 
sights of the city. It has always been the custom of all 
travellers who visit Rome, to seek an audience of the 
Pope ; but Madame Bonaparte makes no mention of 
having paid her respects to Pius VII., the pontiff who 
had refused to annul her marriage at the request of 
Napoleon. Both her time and Jerome's was otherwise 
occupied. 

In a letter from Jerome to his grandfather, dated 
Rome, January 7, 1822, he says : " I have been now 
seven weeks in Rome, and have been received in the 
kindest and most hospitable manner possible by all my 
relations who are in Rome. And my father is expected, 
but I don't know whether he will come. My grand- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. Sj 

mother and my aunt and uncle talk of marrying me to 
my uncle's, the Count of Survilliers' daughter, who is in 
the United States. I hope it may take place, for then I 
would return immediately to America to pass the rest 
of my life among my relations and friends. Mamma is 
very anxious for the match. My father is also, and all 
of my father's family, so that I hope that you will also 
approve of it." 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Rome, January 8, 1S22. 

Dear Sir — I have already written you an account of our ar- 
rival and reception here. Bo has been received very affectionately 
by his relations. His aunt allows him a dollar a day to dress him- 
self. I am, as usual, charged with the expense of his board and 
lessons, which, with the hire of my apartments, servant's wages, 
carriage hire and dress, eating and washing for him and myself, 
consume something more than my income. His grandmother and 
aunt are very anxious to have him married to his cousin in Phila- 
delphia, as a means of getting him provided for, and have written 
their desire to his uncle. 

As I plainly see, it is the only sure way of relieving myself of 
the expense he occasions me and I can illy afford. I have given 
my consent and now wait the answer from Philadelphia. 

I go two or three times in the week to his aunt, who lives in great 
state ; her husband has been compelled to allow her rooms in his 
palace, and fourteen thousand dollars income of her own fortune. 

The grandmother is said to be rich ; we may, however, make 
allowances for an exaggeration of one-half. She lives in great 
splendor, and with great economy ; her principal expense being 
the interest of her palace and furniture — a palace here is worth 
about thirty thousand dollars the first purchase. She is very kind 
to Bo. He goes to see her every day. She gave him forty guineas* 
to buy a horse, but as there was no allowance f»r his keep, I 



88 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

persuaded Bo to hire one by the month. The fact is her own chil- 
dren are always wanting money from her, which perhaps accounts 
for her relying on my income to maintain her grandson, which ap- 
pears to be the intention of all his family also. His father, they 
all say, is ruined, therefore it is vain to expect anything from him. 
I do, indeed, regret that there is no one of the whole connection 
rich enough to allow me twelve hundred dollars a year for Bo's 
maintenance. He dines with them ; rides with them, goes to their 
boxes at the theatre, and they seem very much pleased with him. 
He has resumed his family name, which piece of vanity may give 
me some trouble about his passports. I am glad I brought him 
because I like to know that nothing has been lost by not coming 
after it. 

The accounts of Mr. Harper, &c, were rather highly colored, as 
respected money matters and generosity. There is, it is true, every 
other kind of attention, and it is certainly a point of some interest, 
his being publicly acknowledged and approbated by the family. 
From what I have heard and observed of the old lady, I could re- 
ly upon any promise she would make, which cannot be said of 
every one's promises ; it does not seem much in her way to prom- 
ise, which I prefer to the way I have observed some persons have 
of raising expectations which they forget to fulfil. Bo has received 
your letter of the ist November. I am very glad Stuart has 
given up the picture, and obliged to you for taking the trouble of 
getting it from him. It is the only likeness that has ever been 
made of me. My other pictures are quite as like any one else as 
me. 

I am now curious to know Joseph's answer to the ladies' written 
desire of a marriage. He told Madame Toussard some months 
since that he would like it ; he wrote it to his sister here ; she did 
not desire it at the time his letter reached her. Since our arrival 
she changed and wrote to urge him to take Bo. 

I can only say I have spent my time and money on this boy. I 
shall give nothing more until my death. They do not expect -me 
to do anything, as I have been at the whole expense of his educa- 
tion. I shall not be at all surprised if Joseph has changed his mind 
too by this time. 

I have not written to Miss Spear since our arrival, on account 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 89 

of the expense of postage. Have the goodness to tell her so, that 
she may not attribute it to any want of regard. When I am near 
a seaport I will write her a long account of everything. I should 
write Polly and Edward,* but really the expense of sending letters 
is a consideration. I generally wait for a private opportunity of 
writing to my friends from this place, because the letters must be 
sent to France — there are few vessels from this country. 

I would be very much obliged to you if you could send me some 
tobacco either to Dixon or to Leghorn, and write that it must be 
kept until I claim it for my son's use. 

This climate disagrees very much with me. I have been 
plagued by a cough ever since my arrival, which I caught on the 
road ; the fact is, Bo was so unwell all last winter at Geneva with 
a cough, and so bilious all the summer, that it was one of my rea- 
sons for coming here, as, although I did not say it, I was afraid 
keeping him shut up at- his lessons eleven hours a day might kill 
him. He is quite well now. 

I am, dear sir, yours affectionately, 

E. 

They expect the K. W. and his wife here on a visit to his 
mother. I fancy he is coming to get money out of her. The 
family are all like other families. After all said and done, Bo 
owes a great deal more to me, because I have tried to give him an 
education. I shall not see the K. W., nor would he like it him- 
self, after the unhandsome way in which he has always conducted 
himself. I shall hold my tongue, which is all I can possiby do for 
him. 

In order to further the scheme of the marriage of her 
son to Joseph's daughter, Madame Mere, Cardinal 
Fesch and Louis Bonaparte advised Madame Bonaparte 
to send Jerome at once to America, that he might plead 
his own cause with his Uncle Joseph and try the effect 
of his handsome person and attractive manners upon the 

* Her brother, and the wife of another brother. 



90 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

young lady. The next letter is full of this proposed 
marriage. It will be observed that she is anxious for 
strong settlements, for, with her own unhappy expe- 
rience before her, she was not disposed to put any faith 
in any merely verbal promises. She had set her heart 
upon this match, and looked upon any one that opposed 
it as " an idiot and an enemy." 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Rome, 29-30 January, 1822. 

Dear Sir — Jerome sails in the White Oak, to leave Leghorn 
the 14th or 20th of February. His grandmother, who has been 
very kind to him, his Uncle Louis and the Cardinal, all advise me 
to lose no time in sending him to his Uncle Joseph. The princess, 
after having been consulted the first person, and having appro- 
bated highly the project of embarking him, has since changed her 
mind now that his passage is engaged and every preparation made 
for sending him. If Joseph should continue to desire the marriage 
it will be one that allthe family desire, and the only probable way 
of ever getting anything like pecuniary aid for the boy from any of 
the family. Madame is most anxious for the match ; I do not 
think it absolutely necessary for me to go out, as I should think 
you might do everything I could do. The principal and only thing 
is to see that he will not be left without any provision if she dies 
before him, or that he will not be entirely dependent on her as 
long as she lives. They tell me here, Joseph means to give a hun- 
dred thousand dollars on the marriage. If he does not secure the 
whole or any part to her, there is nothing to be said, as the money 
becomes her husband's. But if he means to tie it up, I wish at 
least fifty thousand to be settled on my son. There is no knowing 
how marriages may turn out — women may treat husbands ill, leave 
them, die before them, but if a good provision be made for the 
husband, there is nothing lost by risking a marriage. I shall, if 
absolutely necessary, go out, when I receive Joseph's letters, al- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 91 

though it will be horridly inconvenient to me ; and if he tells me 
his project is to give them a hundred thousand dollars without re- 
striction, there is only for you to see it is so. 

If he does not now intend the match, it will be well to place Bo 
at the Cambridge College. 

If Joseph desires to have him in Philadelphia with him, of 
course it is better to let him stay with him as much as possible. 
His daughters are the best matches in Europe — in point of both 
money and connection. They will have at least five hundred thou- 
sand dollars from him each, and something besides from their 
mother. They are the nieces of the Queen of Sweden. The 
family are so anxious for my son's marriage — Madame has refused 
to acknowledge the marriage of Lucien's daughter * with an Irish- 
man on account of the inferiority of his birth. She would never 
forgive my son's marrying any woman but of high rank. 

I must, my dear sir, caution you against listening to any advice 

from . She has always been an artful enemy of your family, 

and on the present occasion will have an interest in keeping my 
son for some of her granddaughters. 

I will never consent to his marrying any one but a person of 
great wealth. He knows I can only recognize a marriage of ambi- 
tion and interest, and that his name and rank require it. 

Mrs. has been an old enemy of your family and of every 

one else she knows. Miss Spear, whatever her advice may be, 
cannot, I hope, influence you to the detriment of your family. 
Every one that attempts to advise you or him against this connec- 
tion, the first wish of my heart, is either an idiot or an enemy, and 

as such will' be treated by me. The 's may also try to be 

mischievous. I beg you, however, not to mention a word I have 
said about the interference and advice of anxious people. I desire 
Bo maybe as much as possible, and altogether with his uncle, if he 
desires it. If the match should fail, he can be put at Cambridge. 



* Letitia Bonaparte, the eldest daughter of Lucien, married the Honorable 
Thomas Wyse, of Waterford, Ireland, a member of the British Parliament. 
Their son, Lieut. Lucien Napoleon Bonaparte Wyse, of the French navy, is 
the leading member of the company formed for the exploration of the Darien 
Canal. 



92 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

If Joseph makes the marriage it will be better for me to empower 
you to act for me, to lose no time. You hear first' what he says 
about the money, and then if you can get nothing else, ask for fifty 
thousand. I beg you neither to tell any of the family, nor aunt, nor 
Miss Spear, a word about this marriage. George and Henry * know 
too little of the world to understand the propriety of this marriage. 
The others, although I am sure they have Bo's interest at heart, as 
well as George and Henry, have many prejudices and much folly 
about love and idle matches. The examination at Cambridge 
takes place the 26th of August. The boys are only entered then 
or in December. 

I refer you to Bo for the history of his aunt, the P . She has 

treated him exactly as she has done all her other nephews — that is, 
promised, and then retracted. She makes a new will every day, 
and has quarrelled with every human being on earth, and will finally 
leave her property to strangers. All that has been said of her is 
not half what she deserves — neither hopes of legacies, nor any ex- 
pectation can make any one support her whims, which are so extra- 
ordinary as to make it impossible not to believe her mad. 

She chooses a new heir every week. I can now only say, if my 
presence is indispensably necessary, I will go to the United States 
for a few months to secure everything about the marriage. 

I certainly regret being separated from Bo, but parents must let 
their children live where their interest or taste leads them. All is 
sacrifice on their part. I do not expect my poor child to live where 
I do, although his society would be a great comfort to me. If the 
marriage takes place, he must live with his uncle in America. My 
health, and the taste I have for European society, render it quite 
impossible for me to live near them, as probably they will continue 
in Philadelphia. 

I hope and trust, my dear sir, that you will have the goodness to 
attend to the security of a maintenance for the'boy, either by as- 
certaining that the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, promised 
as her marriage portion, is given in common, unfettered by trus- 
tees, or that the sum of fifty thousand be secured to him. Do not 
talk of the fifty until you find how they mean to arrange the hun- 

* Brothers of Madame Bonaparte. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 93 

dred thousand. As to the Princess Borghese, she declares- she will 
give nothing, either during her life or after her death. She has 
made the same promise to all her other nephews, and revoked it 
solemnly afterwards. She is quite mad. 

In February, while Jerome was at Leghorn waiting to 
embark, he wrote to his grandfather, saying : " Mamma 
is still in Rome, and is not decided whether she will em- 
bark in the spring for America, or not. I should rather 
think not, as the climate does not suit her, and her health 
is bad in the United States. I am very glad that I shall 
soon have the pleasure of seeing you and all my relations, 
and my country ; but, on the other hand, I am going 
to leave mamma and my relations on my father's side, 
who have been so very kind to me during my stay in 
Rome." 

Sailing from Leghorn on February 23d, Jerome arrived 
in New York on the 12th of April. He wrote imme- 
diately to his grandfather saying that before going to 
Baltimore he would pass a few days with his Uncle 
Joseph at Bordentown. " Mamma has written to you 
the object of my journey. I left her in Rome. She in- 
tends to go thence to Geneva, there to remain, her health 
being too delicate [as she thinks,] to support the Ameri- 
can climate." 

In answer to this letter Mr. Patterson told him the 
plan he proposed, of stopping a few days with his uncle, 
was very proper. In his next letter Jerome informs his 
grandfather that he has seen his uncle, who received 
him in the kindest manner, but he does not say any- 
thing in reference to the special object of his visit. 



94 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

We have already seen, from Madame Bonaparte's let- 
ters, that Jerome's relatives residing in Italy were in 
favor of his marriage ; and it will be seen from the fol- 
lowing letter from his Grandfather Patterson that he as 
well as Count de Survilliers, the young lady's father, 
also approved of it. 



WILLIAM PATTERSON TO MADAME TOUSSARD. 

Baltimore, 2d March, 1822. 

My Dear Madame Toussard — When I had last the pleasure 
of seeing you in Philadelphia, you mentioned that the Count de. 
Survilliers was desirous to marry his youngest daughter lately ar- 
rived in this country, to my grandson, Jerome. I received within 
a few days a letter from my daughter dated at Rome, 21st Dec, 
wherein she says that her son was very kindly received by his 
grandmother and other relations, and that they had written to the 
count in this country recommending that the above match should 
take place. My daughter and Jerome will in consequence remain 
at Rome until the answer from the count is received by his mother 
and sister. 

If you have an opportunity you will oblige me by making your- 
self acquainted with the count's intentions and everything respect- 
ing this business, as far as they can be ascertained with propriety ; 
also that you will inform me of the age and disposition of the 
young lady, how she stands in the estimation of those who have 
visited her, and whether handsome or otherwise. This is an un- 
usual way of making matches in this country for those who are 
capable of choosing for themselves ; but, if it should take place, I 
hope it will be for the best — at any rate, it will keep the family and 
property better together than by marrying with strangers. Jerome 
is said to be very handsome and is certainly very promising for 
a boy of his age, and you may well suppose it will afford me 
great pleasure to see him happily settled in life before my own 
departure. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 95 

My daughter was in bad health from a cold taken on her way 
from Geneva to Rome, and was fearful she might not get rid of her 
complaint very speedily. With my best respects to Dr. Gillespie, 
your sister and family, believe me with sincere regard, my dear 
madame, 

Your assured friend and servant, 

William Patterson. 

A few weeks after Jerome sailed, his father arrived in 
Rome, as we ascertain from a letter of Madame Bona- 
parte to her son. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO JEROME NAPOLEON BONA- 
PARTE. 

Rome, March 8, 1822. 

Your father arrived yesterday. Wrote to your aunt, who replied 
she would not see him, because he would begin de lui parley dcs 
choses desagreables j he went, however, and found her in bed. She 
pretended we came to Rome uninvited by her ; that she received 
us from compassion. He contradicted this, etc. I have not seen 
or heard from him. 

I leave this, the 14th, for Geneva, with the Packards, where I 
think I shall remain until I hear from you whether 1 must go to 
America. Mrs. Weis told me what I have said of your father, last 
night, at Torlonea's. Your aunt sent to me for the dress she gave 
me before you -went away, saying she would return it in an hour, 
and kept it. The Princess G. says she served her exactly such a 
trick about a cap she had given her. I am sorry you did not write 
to Madame by Tari, whom I have seen since his return. 

I have not seen Madame or the C -s since you went away. I 
met Napoleon the other evening at P. Gabriel's. Be sure to write 
to all the family and send by Italy. I have heard of the arrival of 
your uncle's daughter in Philadelphia, from Mrs. Toussard. 
- Since writing the above, your aunt has sent back the dress. I 
suppose she has been made ashamed of her conduct by the family. 



g6 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Most probably I shall not see your father. He does not wish it for 
many reasons. 

Recollect all my advice. They have sent me a bill for six hun- 
dred cigars you took at Leghorn. 

For heaven's sake spend as little money as possible, and recol- 
lect the smallness of my income and the many privations it subjects 
me to. If Mrs. Toussard would come out we might live together 
in Paris. I am very lonesome, and foresee nothing but poverty and 
solitude. I shall go to America if you think there is the least ne- 
cessity for it. Let me know everything about my finances. Do 
read as much as you can, and improve in every way. I ask you to 
reward my cares and anxieties about you, by advancing your own 
interests and happiness. I am very uneasy about you, and almost 
blame myself for not going with you to take care of you, and shall 
never forgive myself if you meet any accident by being alone. Do 
take care of yourself morally and physically. I have been unwell 
with my indigestion again, vomiting in earnest, but not in a gold 
basin. I paid Snell for the cigars for which his correspondent at 
Leghorn sent in a bill. 

Saturday, March 9th. Madame and your father have been at 
the princess's. Your father is very intimate with her. Napoleon * 
was there last night. They seem to have all made up for the mo- 
ment. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Rome, March 8, 1822. 

Dear Sir — Bo sailed in the White Oak from Leghorn the 23d 
of February, bound to New York, which I hope he will reach the 
1st April. His Uncle Louis sent a confidential person with him to 
Leghorn to stay with him until he embarked. He had the goodness 
to recommend him in the most particular manner to the American 
Consul there and to Mr. Webb. 

His grandmother has been very kind to him, gave him shirts and 
many other things for his sea-voyage. They all approved his being 

* Son of Louis Bonaparte. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 97 

sent to his uncle, and all desire the marriage with the young lady 
lately arrived in Philadelphia, which must at all events take place, 
as it is the only means of providing for him. His father is now 
here — arrived yesterday morning. I have not seen him, nor has he 
expressed any wish to see me, and, as I leave this place on the 
14th for Geneva, it is not likely we shall meet. They say he is 
ruined, and is come here to get money from his mother. I must 

tell you* the P of B * is exactly what I had heard — capricious 

beyond all possibility of expression. She has retracted all her fine 
promises to my son, the very same promises having been before 
made to all her other nephews, whom she has quarrelled- with and 
turned out of doors one after the other. She abused every mem- 
ber of the family to me, and hates them all, her husband in the bar- 
gain, sees none of them, because it is impossible for them to support 
her whims, which so nearly resemble lunacy that many persons 
have been put into the mad-house for much fewer symptoms 

It is my ardent wish to marry Bo to his cousin. Let nothing pre- 
vent it, as he has no other chance of being provided for. His 
family have certainly shown him every distinction and mark of 
affection in their power. He has equal rank with them and will 
always be in the first society in every country ; but altho' his birth 
makes him of high rank, his fortune is not likely to correspond 
with it. The only way to maintain him in the only position that can 
be natural to his name, is to connect him with his father's family by 
this marriage, ardently desired by them all. 

His grandmother has preserved very justly the dignity of conduct 
which belongs to greatness when unfortunate. She likes him very 
much, and has signified very pointedly to her family that she will 
never countenance improper marriages for them. Her desire is to 
marry them as much as possible in the family, on account of the 
name, as well as to preserve the fortune in the connection. I beg, 
my dear sir, you will advise Bo in this sense, and discourage all 
that tendency to romance and absurd falling in love which has been 
the ruin of your own family, at the same time not allowing your 
judgment, which is naturally good, to be misled by the deceitful 
advice of people who will not fail to envy such an advantageous 

* Princess Borghese. 



98 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

marriage. I am a very fond parent, but no foolish or mistaken 
affection can ever make me sanction an improper match for my 
sod. He owes a great deal to me, a great deal to his position in 
society, and we both demand that he should never part with a sin- 
gle particle of his consequence, which might be lost in some boyish 
connection begun in folly and to end in children, obscurity, and 
poverty. I am so much agitated about this child's destiny, so torn 
by desires and fears, that I have brought on since his departure a 
complaint which renders me almost incapable of doing anything : 
it is continual vomiting. Everything that I eat swells me almost 
to bursting, even my feet, nor can I get relief unless I throw it off 
my stomach. I think, too, this climate has been of great disad- 
vantage to me, which, with a cold taken on the road and the mental 
agitation Bo's affairs have caused, me, have made my feelings in- 
tolerable. If I hear of his safe arrival and his marriage, I shall be 
quite well again. I wish him to be as much as possible with his 
uncle. I fear a dispensation from the Pope will be necessary, 
which may occasion some delay — his relations here will get it when 
necessary. His father, they say, regrets not having seen him be- 
fore he sailed, and is very confident of the marriage taking place. 

I dare not expect anything that would give me so much pleasure, 
as it would exactly meet my wishes, and they have ever been wo- 
fully disappointed. 

If, however, there is no chance of the match, the next best thing 
will be to place him at the Cambridge College, and to see that he 
does not spend too much money. If his uncle desires he should 
stay with him until the dispensation from the Pope arrives-, he must 
do it. If you can find out that he means to give one hundred 
thousand dollars, which they say here, on the marriage, so much 
the better ; but do not let the match be lost, for really, without it, 
he has little prospect of support, and a profession, however desir- 
able for him, is more easily talked about than effected. 

Yours, dear sir, very affectionately. 



After her son's departure Madame Bonaparte re- 
mained in Rome a few weeks, and then visited Florence. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 99 

It was at this time that she saw her husband for the first 
and last time after their separation at Lisbon in 1805. 
They met in the gallery of the Pitti Palace. On seeing 
her Jerome started, and whispered to the Princess of 
Wiirtemberg, his second wife : "That is my American 
wife." No words passed between them. Her stay in 
Florence at this time was a very brief one, for in May 
she was again in Geneva, and early in the summer of 
1822 she returned to Paris, from which city we again 
have a letter to her father. 

To Jerome she wrote, on the 2d of June, that she was 
just going to set out for Liverpool to embark for New 
York ; but she was taken with a bilious rheumatism, 
which, though she had recovered when she wrote, had 
hindered her from making the journey, wherefore she 
determined to embark from Havre, if she did not in the 
meantime receive a letter from her son telling her it 
was unnecessary. It will be seen by her letter to Mr. 
Patterson that she had some doubts of the success of 
the project about which she had written and talked so 
constantly during the preceding winter and spring. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, June 19, 1822. 

Dear Sir — I received your letter of the 15th April announcing 
Bo's arrival. I have been unwell for a month, but am quite well 
at present. I had intended going to America, thinking my pres- 
ence there might have been useful to the child. Perhaps nothing 
that his grandmother and the family so much desired may take 
place, and my going could do no good. The best plan is to keep 



100 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

the whole affair secret if it fails, as people get nothing by publish- 
ing their disappointments. It was the count's wish two years ago, 
but I well know there is little reliance to be placed on any of that 
race. My opinion always was to give the boy a good education, 
and to place little faith in kind words and fair promises. If he 
should desire the match, I require very positive assurances, or 
rather deeds, securing one hundred thousand dollars to my son, as 
she may die or separate from him. If they give the money in 
common, without tying it upon her, it will do ; but I cannot risk 
leaving the child to their generosity. It is very probable they may 
have some other plan for her, in which event it will be proper to 
put the child at Cambridge ; and I beg you to attend to his edu- 
cation, and see that he does not lose his time. I wish him to be 
an economist in everything but education — on that I never did and 
never will refuse money. It is all he can securely depend upon, 
and must not be neglected. I will sail at a week's warning if there 
be any probability of the marriage ; but if there be none, it is as 
well for me not to risk having my feelings hurt by seeming to run 
after it. I wish, if it does take place, to be very explicit about 
securing a maintenance to Bo J perhaps giving the money in com- 
mon would not answer. You would of course consult a clever law- 
yer on the subject, and have all arranged in such a way that there 
would be no flaw. If they should exact that he should only have 
the money during his life, and that it should revert to his heirs at 
his death, I do not oppose that ; but you need not suggest this to 
them. 

Please send the enclosed letter for Bo to some one of your 
friends with an express order to deliver it to him personally, and 
not by any chance to send it to the house of any one in Philadelphia 
where he may be staying. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Yours affectionately. 

Madame Bonaparte said she was willing to return to 
America, provided her presence there would aid her 
matrimonial schemes for her son. But, having received 



MADAME BONAPARTE. IOI 

letters which informed her that the proposed marriage 
with Joseph's daughter was not likely to come off, she 
writes : 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, July 7th, 1822. 

Dear Sir — I have received a letter from Bo, dated 22d May, 
and one from you previously, dated 15 th April. I had come on 
here with the intention of going to the child, supposing from the 
communications made to me two years ago through Mrs. Toussard, 
with others made to his family more recently (a year since), added 
to the unanimous and strong desire they all expressed to me last 
winter that such an event should take place — imagining, I say, that 
it would be improper in me to absent myself at a period so impor- 
tant to his future interests, I had sesolved to embark, although 
suffering under a very severe illness, which kept me in my room 
six weeks, when I received a letter from Bo, by which I plainly 
saw that I might save myself the trouble. 

There is nothing can, or ever will, surprise me in that family. 
The only way is to act and feel exactly as if they said and prom- 
ised nothing, to hold when one touches, but not to take a step to 
catch anything from them. They have been all civility and kind- 
ness, and will always be ready to acknowledge him. This I do not 
doubt, but I very much doubt their desire or intention to part with 
money when they can help it. Some members of the family have 
spent all they had ; others, much wiser, hold on to what they have. 

The old lady is a person of strong natural sense. She desired, and 
has said, I believe, all she could to effect the arrangement her son 
suggested two years since. It would be useless to endeavor to ac- 
count for his present conduct, silly to appear at all offended by it, 
and mad ever to calculate on any advantage (pecuniary, I mean,) 
from them. When I undertook the journey last year, I merely 
meant to fulfil the duty of losing nothing by my own inaction, and 
I still think it was a prudent measure to show that I never would 
be an obstacle to the boy's advancement. 



102 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

There is one advantage from the connection, which is, that he is 
placed by it in the first circles of Europe, that his acquaintance 
has been sought by persons of the highest rank, and that, with 
very little money, he can always live with them. This I consider 
a great point ; and although I sincerely deplore any circumstance 
or combination of events which oppose his being rich, I console 
myself under the present disappointment by the comforting convic- 
tion that his name and rank are beyond the influence of any one's 
caprice. 

The only thing left us to do is to try to give him ambition, to 
prevent him ever making a foolish match, which, by the way, his 
grandmother gave me to understand would mortally offend her ; 
to seek the best means of perfecting his education ; one part of 
good education is the most rigid economy, and I fear the example 
of commercial cities is less calculated than any other to effect so 
desirable an object. 

If by chance the uncle goes back to his former dispositions, you 
know that not the most amiable verbal promises must induce him 
to put himself in dependence, that parchment deeds examined by 
a skilful lawyer are the best and only guarantee for happiness, and 
certainly the only assurances I shall ever rely on for him. 

The boy must neither seek nor avoid being with his relations. 
If they invite him, let him go to them ; if they do not, he is not 
called upon to run after them. He ought to avoid lingering in 
Philadelphia on his journeys to and from college, to save the awk- 
wardness of not being intimate when in the same place with such 
near relations, and to save the comments of a gossiping population. 
His conduct should appear natural, respectful, and as affectionate 
as nephews generally are to uncles, independently, however, of all 
obsequiousness or meanness. He is in every respect upon an 
equality with them, and I think there would have been entire reci- 
procity of advantages in forming a connection. Although he has 
not money, he has other advantages. He has name, rank, good 
natural capacity, good appearance, and if he does not suit them, 
there are perhaps many other families that he will suit. Another 
capital point is that he is not a woman, it being much easier to 
marry sons than daughters — I mean, to^ advantage ; for, as to the 
marriages in America, they are simple acts of youthful folly and 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 103 

inexperience, and, although they may be liable to fewer inconve- 
niences in a commercial or republican society than they would be in 
Europe, are still absurd and improper in many respects. . . . 
I have no confidence in the banks, insurance companies, road 
stocks, or, in short, in any stock in Baltimore. The people of 
business there all live above their means, all speculate to support 
the extravagant wants of their families, and from folly are driven 
to dishonesty. Their want of moral feeling and scandalous effron- 
tery when detected in the commission of crimes which conduct to 
the pillory in other countries, have entirely destroyed the reputa- 
tion of the place, and made me take a resolution to sell out the 
little property I unwarily confided to Baltimore companies. I 
shall wait, however, until people forget the explosion that took 
place three years ago ; human credulity is so great that confidence 
may perhaps revive and purchasers be found for what I think very 
precarious property. I can never again consider any stock but 
government at all secure, but my want of reliance on all other kinds 
is no reason why others should not be firm believers, and their 
faith may serve me effectually by giving me a tolerable price for 
my property when I decide upon the time to sell it. 

Prince Jerome is entirely ruined. He is soliciting permission 
from government to change his residence. He and his wife wish 
to live with his mother, who, according to present appearances, 
will have them to maintain. She has consented to take them into 
her house, and to lend them a country-house in summer. I must 
say the old lady behaves as well as any one could in her position, 
and is much respected by every one. I wish Bo's education to be 
particularly attended to— on that no money to be spared ; every 
other kind of saving is a gain and no one can be more disposed to 
save in everything than I am, but a good education is never too 
highly paid. Money spent in that way brings a good interest to 
every one. Adieu, my dear sir. I think I shall return to Geneva 
in some weeks, this place being much too expensive for me. Do 
not make me any remittances until I write to you. Exchange is 
much against people getting money either from America in Europe, 
or from Amsterdam to Geneva. I can make out some plan not to 
draw for money yet, particularly as I get six per cent, for my 
money in America. I shall let you know when I want remittances ! 



104 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Vanderhope allows me four per cent, for the money I have in his 
hands, which my banker in Geneva will not do. 

This letter was quickly followed by the following 
characteristic one. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, July 10, 1822. 

Dear Sir — I have received a letter from you since Bo's arrival, 
dated April 15th and May 8th. I am sorry to find there is little 
chance of what I destined for his advancement, but nothing is sur- 
prising on the part of those people. The only thing left is for me 
to put this by with the rest of my earthly trials, and to console my- 
self by the consciousness of having lost nothing by my own folly. 
I have consulted one of the professors of the Cambridge College 
respecting the requisites for admittance there. I fear Bo's defi- 
ciency in Greek may prove an obstacle on the present occasion. 
West Point is not by any means a proper place for him, it never 
having been my intention to give him a military education.. I 
desire more than anything on earth that he may be perfectly well 
educated — his position in life makes it more important for him than 
for any one ; and to effect this object has been the endeavor of 
my whole life. I wish him to be a strict economist, a character 
much ridiculed by the former great people of Baltimore, whose late 
misfortunes and errors still more confirm me in my desire that 
my son should on all occasions attend to frugality. There are 
some idle boys at Cambridge, whose extravagant habits will not, 
I hope, be imitated by Bo. Sons of noblemen, heirs to twenty 
thousand sterling annually, are less expensive than the sons of our 
merchants, which is the great reason of the constant depredations 
committed on all moneyed institutions in Baltimore, by directors, 
whose yearly expenditure in their private establishments exceeds 
their capital. I hope and trust that the child will have too much 
good sense to be affected by any of the shameful examples of 
prodigality or idleness which are to be found in all colleges, 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 105 

and that the confidence I repose in him, by allowing him to reside 
there without my protection, will not be abused. 

Should the count retrograde to his former dispositions, I shall 
give my consent on proper securities being given of permanent 
advantages. I hope that Bo will never allow the silly fancies and 
romantic nonsense of American boys to change his natural good 
judgment. Nothing can equal the absurd folly of parents there, 
or the whimsical self-willed conduct of the young people, who 
launch into life with the same confidence in their own opinions 
that sixty years of experience only give in other countries. I think 
of returning to Geneva, this place being much too expensive for 
my habits ; Mrs. Galatin has some idea of taking the journey with 
me, which, independent of the pleasure and comfort of her society, 
will be a means of reducing the expense of a private conveyance. 
I generally travel by the diligence, incognito ; but my health is not 
sufficiently established to allow me to drive three nights, which 
must be done between Paris and Geneva. If commerce between 
America and France be continued on a favorable footing, Havre 
is the best way of writing to me, on account of postage, which is a 
very serious consideration in Europe. I shall write when I want 
farther remittances, which I do not at present. 

Yours, dear sir, affectionately. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, August 3, 1822. 

Dear Sir — I contemplate leaving this place on the 4th of the 
month, for Geneva, where I shall pass the winter. Mrs. Galatin 
is not entirely decided on visiting that place, therefore I shall de- 
part by the first occasion. 

I suppose Bo is at college by this time, where I hope he will not 
lose his time. I regret that his dog could not go with him, which, 
if I had known, I should have insisted on keeping him with me, 
as a reward for the poor beast's fidelity and many other good 
qualities which he possesses, not to mention his great intelligence, 
5* 



106 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

which renders him superior to half the persons one meets in the 
world. 

The Galatins have shown me great attention and kindness since 
my arrival here. I have been asked to dine every day with them, 
and Mrs. Galatin urged me to reside with them during an illness 
of some weeks, which, however, I refused to do. Poor Madame 
Villette is as obliging and good, and fond of dinner company as 
she ever was. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 107 



CHAPTER VII. 

Jerome's proposed Marriage abandoned. — Charlotte Bonaparte. — Achille 
Murat — Mme. Bonaparte returns to Geneva. — Her Letters from that 
City during the Autumn of 1822. — Reported Death of Madame Mere. — 
Jerome's Religious Belief. — Mme. Bonaparte's Literary Friends. — La- 
martine. — Mme. de Genlis. — Lady Morgan. — Mme. Bonaparte's Affection 
for her Son. — Tom Moore. — Wellington. — A French Widow's Sorrow. — ; 
Mme. Bonaparte's Views of Matrimony. — 1822. 

WHILE the proposed marriage was pending between 
Jerome and his cousin, the Princess Charlotte, the King 
of Westphalia wrote to his brother Joseph that such a 
union would render him very happy, as well as his wife, 
who wrote at the same time to express a kind interest 
in the first-born of her husband, and a desire to benefit 
the young man, of whose birthright she, although inno- 
cently, had deprived him. Madame Mere was also 
strongly in favor of the match, as the following letter 
shows : 

MADAME MERE TO JOSEPH BONAPARTE. 

" Mon tres-cher FILS— " . . . Vous aurez avant ce mo- 
ment-ci embrasse Charlotte, elle vous sera d'une grande consola- 
tion. Vous aviez raison d'etre decide" d la reunir avec le fits de 
Jerome. Ce jeune homme est ici depuis deux mois j j'en suis 
emerveillee ; il rCest pas possible de trouver son aplomb et son bon 
sens d son age, et sans doute Charlotte serait heureuse. Vous 



108 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

tronrerez ci-joint copies des lettres du pere et de Catherine, dont 
je vous ai envoye les originaux par un autre canal, qui vous mar- 
quent le desir de voir effectuer cette union. Je vous ai ecrit ainsi 
que Pauline, le 5 decembre, qu'elle promettait pour cette union 300,- 
000 fr. a sa mort. Ainsi, si vous §tes du meme avis, il ne s'agirait 
que de^ lui ecrire pour se rendre sur-lc-champ en Amkrique. . . . 
Donnez-moi souvent vos nouvelles et celles de ma chere Charlotte, 
et soyez convaincu du tendre attachement avec lequel je vous em- 
brasse tous deux. 

li Louis et son fils sont ici, et se portent fort bien. 

li Addio, carojiglio, sono la 

"Signe: VOSTRA OTTIMA MADRE. 

" Rome, 25 Janvier, :::; 

TRANSLATION. 

My Dearest Son — Before this you will have embraced your 
Charlotte ; she will be a great comfort to you. You were right to 
decide to marry her to Jerome's son. The young man has been 
here two months. I am amazed at him ; it is hardly possible to 
find so much aplomb and good sense in one of his age, and there is 
no doubt that Charlotte will be happy. 

You will find enclosed copies of the letters from his father and 
Catherine, the originals of which I have sent you by another chan- 
nel ; they will show you their desire to see this union effected. I 
have written to you, as Pauline did also, that she has promised, in 
the event of this marriage, three hundred thousand francs to be 
paid at her death. If you are of the same opinion, it will only be 
necessary to write to Jerome to return to America at once. . . . 

Give me frequent news of yourself and of my dear Charlotte, 
and be convinced of the tender love with which I embrace you 
both. Louis and his son are here, and are very well. 

Addio, dear son, I am, 

VOSTRA OTTIMA MADRE. 
Rome, 25 January, 1822. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. I : ■;. 

Jerome's Uncle Louis also highly approved of the 
match, and after his departure for America wrote to him 
that M he loved him tenderly, and regretted his absence, 
but was consoled with the hope that it was for his 
good." 

Madame Mere, anxious to see the projected marri^ze 
actually realized, at the end of April again address ed 
her son Joseph on the subject, urging it vehemently. 

After the visit Jerome paid his Uncle Joseph, upon his 
first arrival in America, he called upon him a second 
time, but the Count de SurviUiers was absent ; ' on his 
travels." Jerome then proceeded to Lancaster. Mass . 
for the purpose of preparing, under a tutor, for enter- 
ing Harvard College the following winter. 

We gather from a letter from Jerome to his grand- 
father, dated July 28, 1822, that the matrimonial pro- 
ject was already abandoned, in his mind at least. He 
says: "Mamma's letter is dated Paris, April. She 
begins thus : ' I am now in Paris looking for an occasion 
to sail for America, feeling so much anxiety about your 
concerns there, and fearing you require my presence 
and advice on many subjects. It puts me to great in- 
convenience to make the voyage, but I prefer any per- 
sonal inconvenience to leaving you without advice. I 
shall try to sail from Havre, but, rf I cannot find a good 
vessel there, I must go to Liverpool. It is my inten- 
tion and desire to embark before the first of July, there- 
fore you may expect me.' But, as this letter is dated 
April, she cannot have received any from me since my 
arrival in this country ; and if she waits until she re- 



110 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

ceives one of my letters, I do not think she will em- 
bark ; but she may have embarked before my letter will 
have reached her, and if she has, she will probably be 
here in a very short time. She also mentions in her 
letter, that she had not received any letters from my 
uncle (who assured me and even showed me the copy 
of the letter he had written her), nor from Madame de 
Toussard in answer to hers from Rome." 

Madame Toussard, the intimate friend of Madame 
Bonaparte, after the marriage scheme was broken off, 
wrote to Mr. Patterson from Philadelphia: "I meet 
Joseph Bonaparte and his daughter very frequently in 
company ; she is in size a dwarf and excessively ugly. 
Jerome is quite too handsome for her ; it would be a 
great sacrifice. The present report is that Achille 
Murat * is coming out to marry her." The young lady 
finally married Napoleon, the eldest son of Louis Bona- 
parte, who died during a revolutionary outbreak in 
Italy, in the spring of 1831, leaving his brother Louis 
Napoleon the heir of the empire, and head of the 
Bonaparte family. 

About the middle of August, 1822, Madame Bona- 
parte returned once more to Geneva, where she spent 
the following autumn and winter. Her letters written 
at this time are very characteristic. 

* Achille Murat was the oldest son of Joachim Murat, King of Naples, 
and Caroline Bonaparte, sister of Napoleon. He resided in Florida for 
many years, and died there in 1847. He married the daughter of Byrd 
Willis, a grand-niece of Washington. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. Ill 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 15th September, 1822. 

Dear Sir — I find with pleasure that Bo is in a clergyman's 
house, preparatory to entering college. The information given me 
last summer at Paris by one of the professors, accidentally there at 
the same time with myself, made me fear that the child's knowl- 
edge of Greek was insufficient to admit his being received. It 
would in that case have been perhaps necessary to place him at the 
military school at West Point, which I would have regretted on 
many accounts, although I am told a pretty good education may be 
had there. 

My letters from America induced me to change my plan of go- 
ing there, and rather to return to this place, which combines cheap- 
ness, or rather comparative cheapness, with great resources of so- 
ciety. I have found my friend, the Princess Potemkin, here. She 
was always particularly kind to and fond of my son, which is a 
great reason for my feeling pleasure in her society, although she 
has become so excessively bigoted in her religious sentiments, and 
so determined to convert me, that I feel less comfort than formerly 
with her. I hope Bo will attend to his studies and avoid bad com- 
pany and expensive habits. I regret excessively that his dog could 
not go with him, not only because he would defend him from dan- 
ger at night, but because he could amuse him during his hours of 
relaxation, and be a safer companion than many others he will meet 
I am anxious to learn whether the examination for Cambridge has 
proved satisfactory. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Yours affectionately. 

I shall write Miss Spear veiy soon, having been so continually 
occupied with visits and parties since my return, that I have not 
had a moment to myself. 



112 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, October 15th, 1822. 

My Dear Sir — I have no letters from Bo since the 29th 
June. There is a report that his grandmother is dead, which may 
be true, but I have no letters from any of the family. I write you 
this in haste and beg you to make him acquainted instantly with 
the report. I hope it is not true. She appeared to me an estima- 
ble person in every respect ; showed great fondness for this poor 
child. I lament his having left her so soon, as, from the sense and 
penetration which distinguished her, I am convinced she would 
have taken great interest in him had he been more with her. She 
appeared to be exempt from the shuffling and double-dealing com- 
mon to people on the Continent of Europe, which troublesome 
qualities are as useless to their possessors as wearisome to those 
on whom they are exercised. 

I have established myself for the winter in this place, which 
agrees very well with my health. I hope Bo is comfortably and 
usefully established, and that his good conduct and attention to his 
studies will justify the confidence reposed in him by my trusting 
him without my superintendence, and at too great a distance to 
profit by my counsels. I beg you, my dear sir, to endeavor to 
inculcate to him the necessity and propriety of care and frugality 
in his mode of living, which the young people of the present day 
are far too neglectful of. I well remember that the examples of 
extravagance in our family are little calculated to enforce what I 
so much desire for this child, but I hope the advice I have given 
him may in some measure counteract the effects of imprudent con- 
duct in those he now lives with. 

I shall write the instant I have any confirmation of the death of 
Madame. 
! Adieu, 

Yours affectionately. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 113 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, nth December, 1822. 

Dear Sir — .... I am most happy to learn that Bo is 
applying himself assiduously to his studies, and that his absence 
from me has not abated his diligence or ambition. It is possible 
that my great and unceasing efforts to stimulate him to farther ex- 
ertion might have teased him into idleness, as young people are 
often perverse and self-willed ; not that I, however, can complain 
of these qualities in him, but have rather cause to rejoice in the 
goodness of his disposition. However, after much reflection, I am 
not now sorry that he is under college discipline. The report of 
his grandmother's death has been contradicted in the gazettes, and 
from some intelligence given me by a lady who has lately visited 
Italy, I am confirmed in the assurance of her being still alive. I 
am very glad of it for many reasons, besides really respecting and 
admiring the dignity of her character, and the strong natural abil- 
ity which distinguishes her. The will published must have been 
the invention of the editor of the paper who so prematurely an- 
nounced her decease. I have not heard from his uncle for a long 
time, and concur with you in the idea that he is waiting the opera- 
tions of time and his own expediency. He is a prudent character. 
As I have had no little experience of the versatility of the politics 
of that family, I shall not be surprised if they confine their affection 
for Bo to kind words, of which, to do them justice, they have been 
very lavish. 

Their reception of Bo was not only affectionate, but highly flat- 
tering, which latter was a proof of penetration, for, without partial- 
ity, I may say that there is not in the world a boy who combines 
greater intelligence with more remarkable personal beauty. In 
his situation a good appearance is important, because, although 
every one cannot appreciate mental superiority, the most stupid 
and ignorant are sensible to a handsome exterior, and for one con- 
spicuously placed as he is, it is fortunate that he is not misshapen 
nor disgraced by vulgar common features. Mrs. Toussard writes 
me that Mrs. Sherlock has made a love match with Mr. Dorsey. 
As poor Mrs. Sherlock never was gifted with much sense, nor tor- 



114 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

merited by any aspirings after greatness, one cannot be surprised 
at her marrying her father's secretary. I hope, however, she has 
taken some care of the interests of her daughter. 

I am very much obliged to you for your care of poor Le Loup. 
The poor animal has been accustomed to much attention, and was 
considered one of the handsomest dogs in Europe. I hope he has 
a warm place to sleep in, as the cold would certainly kill him, hav- 
ing been in the habit of sleeping on a mattress with sheets and 
blankets, with his head on his master's pillow. I fancy the black 
faces in the kitchen must have frightened him, as he had been used 
to drawing-rooms and fine ladies here. 

I hear Mrs. R. P. * is coming out ; she will be the best sailor in 

the world. Her sisters are not yet married, which, considering 

their persevering endeavors and invincible courage, rather surprises 

me. 

I remain, very affectionately yours, 

E. P. 

Miss Spear f places every year longer intervals between her let- 
ters. If I do not write her more frequently it is because I know 
nothing here that could interest her, as she is unacquainted with 
the actors of the theatre upon which I am. She has much infor- 
mation that would interest me, because I know every one she sees. 
I suppose she spends her winters at Washington, as usual, with the 
general's family. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 24th December, 1822. 
Dear Sir — I have been here since the middle of August, and I 
find my health much improved by my residence in this place, which 
indeed suits me better in every respect than Paris. 

* Mrs. Robert Patterson, a sister-in-law of Madame Bonaparte, and grand- 
daughter of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton. 

t Miss Nancy Spear, aunt of Madame Bonaparte, was in the habit of going 
to Washington every year to attend the sessions of Congress. Her brother- 
in-law, General Smith, commander of the old Maryland line during the 
American revolution, resided there, and was a member of Congress. Mr. 
William Patterson, another brother-in-law, left her a legacy on condition that 
she gave up attending the sessions of Congress. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 115 

There is more society, and of the best sort in Europe, to be had 
on more easy terms than in larger towns. The French language is, 
however, indispensable, being that alone spoken in company. 

There are balls or parties every night, and I have not spent one 
during five months at home. My intimate friend is a lady of your 
age, who never passes a day in her own house unless she gives a 
ball or a card party, which she does every Friday. ... I am 
happy to learn ifo is industrious and that he has a chance of enter- 
ing college in February. The report of his grandmother's death 
has been contradicted by those who published it. I am very glad 
it was untrue. It is perhaps as well that he should be in an Ameri- 
can college for two years, altho' I should not have thought of 
changing the plan of his education, had not the views presented to 
me by his family induced me to consent to his departure. 

I shall never regret taking Bo to Italy, because, although people 
cannot command success, they ought to secure to themselves their 
own approbation, and the conviction of having done all that de- 
pends on their own exertions. Bo is neither deficient in capacity 
nor the knowledge of the demands of his situation in life. I think 
myself fortunate that he was not born a fool, which two -thirds of 
the children brought into the world are ; had he been one, it would 
have embarrassed me exceedingly to know what to do with him. 
It is only permitted to women to be idiots, or men whose fortunes 
have been accumulated by their wiser ancestors, and which they 
may enjoy without trouble. . . . Bo's genius for mathematics 
is more remarkable than for the acquirement of languages, altho' 
he seems not unwilling to submit to the inconvenience and toil of 
learning Greek. . . . 

Dec. 27. — I have kept my letter a day or two, the weather hav- 
ing been too cold for me to go to the post-office, and I never trust 
a letter to a servant. ... In this place people are great 
economists, altho' they go out a great deal and enjoy themselves 
very much. One Baltimore family dinner would feed a family here 
for at least a fortnight. I hope Bo will not learn to be a spend- 
thrift. I have talked to him enough on the subject, but young 
people never have profited by the experience of those who have 
lived longer than they, and I fear he must, like others, purchase 
experience at his own cost. I labored unceasingly to impress him 



1 1 6 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

with the opinion of all sensible people, the high value of money, 
and the importance of always increasing one's fortune ; but I fear 
the examples of thoughtlessness and prodigality, and the improper 
way in which he will hear prudent people talked of, may counteract 
my advice. I recollect that living within one's income used to be 
considered parsimony, and I have little doubt that I have been con- 
sidered almost a miser (altho' I believe I am one of the worst mana- 
gers possible) because I have not spent everything. I wish Bo to be 
reminded often of the importance of saving, altho' I do not desire 
that he should want the means of living as well as those with whom 
he associates, and above all I never will withhold any money to 
procure him the solid or ornamental parts of education. I con- 
sider a good education to a person of sense the best possible in- 
vestment of money, because it always commands both money and 
consideration in the world. It is equally unwise to force learning 
on children without capacity, because, altho' study may improve 
sense, it can never create it. I think Bo clever enough to con- 
duct himself better than most children of his age, but the unhappy 
propensity of his father to throwing away money makes me per- 
haps more fearful on this subject than I need be. He is entirely 
ruined by his and his wife's absurd prodigality, added to their 
confidence in rogues. Poor man, his faults always proceeded from 
want of judgment more than badness of heart ; but, when the first 
is wanting, nothing improper can excite surprise. 

I hope poor Le Loup has not suffered from, the cold much more 
intense than that he has been used to in this country. He was the 
admiration of all who saw him here, and every one knew him. 
When he walked with me, many unknown to me used to call him 
by his name and bid him good day. Miss Fabri once wrote him 
an invitation to a large evening party, which I took him to. I 
have constant inquiries after him from every one. Adieu, my dear 
Sir. Believe me very affectionately yours. 

Please write Bo that his grandmother is not dead. The report 
was entirely untrue in every respect. 

We have seen how anxious Madame Bonaparte was 
that her son should have a finished education. In her 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 117 

letters to her father she repeatedly declares that upon 
the education of her son no money should be spared — ■ 
she who was saving in everything else was prodigal in 
this. After studying eight months under a private 
tutor, Jerome passed a successful examination, and was 
admitted into Harvard College in February, 1823. 

Soon after entering the university a difficulty arose in 
regard to his attendance at Protestant worship, and he 
requested his grandfather in Baltimore to write to the 
President of Harvard College stating that he did not 
wish Jerome to attend the Protestant Church. Upon 
this subject Jerome wrote: "I would appear very in- 
consistent if, after having stayed away from their church 
for upwards of a year, I were to go there now ; and as 
I have been brought up a Catholic,* I would not wish to 
change my religion; and moreover, my grandmother 
and several of my father's family being great devotees, 
they would think it a crime were I to enter an heretical 
church." 

Although Madame Bonaparte disclaimed the idea of 
being one of the femmes d 'esprit \ still she was on the 
most intimate terms with M. Denon, Lamartine, Madame 
Rochefoucauld, Madame de Genlis, and other literary 
celebrities. Her letters to Lady Morgan are in striking 
contrast with those to her father in point of affectionate 
interest. From her earliest years Mr. Patterson seemed 

* Although Madame Bonaparte was not a Catholic herself, she had a great / 1 
respect for the Roman Catholic belief as the " religion of princes and kings ; " ' 
and as it was the religion of his father's family, she had her son brought up a 
Catholic, in which faith he lived and died. 



Il8 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

to take a singular pleasure in repressing his beautiful 
and gifted daughter. He showed no sympathy for her 
sufferings, nor appreciation of her ambition, while her 
admiration and enjoyment of European society found 
no response in his stern and simple nature. 

She knew how to flatter Lady Morgan most success- 
fully. She writes : *'* If I were to write all that your ad- 
mirers and friends tell me, I should never put my pen 
down. Your work on France is anxiously expected, 
and if it is what every one supposes it will be, as nothing 
mediocre can come from you, all those who love you 
will be highly gratified." 

She complained of being very ill and very triste — that 
tout ineniiui dans ce monde, et je ne sais pas pourquoi — 
unless it were the remembrance of her sufferings. 

She thought the best thing she could do would be to 
return to her dear child in the spring. " I love him so 
entirely," she says, " that perhaps seeing him may ren- 
der my feeling less disagreeable. I hate the sejonr of 
America, and the climate destroys the little health which 
has been left me ; but any inconveniences are more sup- 
portable than being separated from one's children. 
How much more we love our children than our husbands ; 
the latter are sometimes so selfish and cruel, and chil- 
dren cannot separate their mothers from their affection." 

Lady Morgan gave Tom Moore a letter of introduc- 
tion to Madame Bonaparte, but the sentimental poet 
failed to attract her — a beautiful woman destitute of all 
sentiment. She ridiculed the idea of love in marriage. 
She declared "that she married for position, and any- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 119 

body was a fool who married for love ; " that all senti- 
ment was a weakness below her strong and determined 
nature. 

Tom Moore showed Madame Bonaparte an extract 
from a letter of Lady Morgan's which mentioned one of 
the Duke of Wellington's lady friends, upon which 
Madame Bonaparte comments in the following charac- 
teristic style : •' You would be surprised if you knew 
how great a fool she is, at the power she exercises over 
the duke ; but I believe that he has no taste pour les 
femmes d' esprit, which is, however, no reason for going 
into extremes, as in this case. He gave her an intro- 
duction to the Prince Regent, and to every one of con- 
sequence in London and Paris. She had, however, no 
success in France, where her not speaking the language 
of the country was a considerable advantage to her, 
since it prevented her nonsense from being heard. Do 
not tell what I have written to you of this affair, since I 
should pass for malicious and unfriendly towards my 
compatriots." 

Even at this period, when Madame Bonaparte was still 
in her prime, she complained of the state of her health. 
Her letters to Lady Morgan contain frequent mention 
of past or present sickness, of seeking relief by change 
of place and scene, etc. She announces the death of 
Lady Morgan's old friend, M. Suard, and relates an 
anecdote which is exceedingly French. His widow 
gave a dinner a week after his death, because she 
was afraid of being trisie, as she said. She . received 
visits as usual, and took her daily promenade on the 



120 '.HE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Boulevards, because, as she said, u tnon bon ami ma 
dit qiiil fallait vivre" Madame Bonaparte said the 
lady's friends are encouraged to flatter themselves that 
her great sensibility will not kill her, and at the same 
time that it induced her to give them parties and attend 
their reunions. 

Madame Bonaparte said she was of the opinion that, 
in spite of her own unfortunate marriage, the best thing 
a woman could do was to marry — that even quarrels 
with one's husbands were preferable to the ennui of a 
solitary existence —that there were many hours besides 
those appropriated to the world, which one could not 
get rid of (at least one like herself, who had no useful 
occupation in life) ; that she had sometimes wished to 
marry a second time to avoid ennui and tristesse. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 121 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Mme. Bonaparte's Idea of her Son's Rank. — American and European Mar- 
riages. — Madame Mere's Will. — Mme. Bonaparte's Disappointment at 
her forgetting Jerome. — Geneva Boarding-Houses. — Meat and Vege- 
tables versus Mont Blanc et le Lac de Geneve. — The E .^ui of Life. — 
Letters to Lady Morgan. — " So melancholy, that I wished myself dead a 
thousand times." — Sismondi. — Miss Edgeworth. — 1823. 

Mme. Bonaparte thought that the " rank " of her son, 
being more " conspicuous " than that of the " middle 
classes," demanded from him better conduct, better man- 
ners, and more elevated sentiments than are required 
from " many very excellent people " whose position was 
so different — that it would require every exertion on his 
part not to appear " unworthy of the distinction which 
his name gave to all who bore it." Therefore, she con- 
stantly urged him not to neglect the opportunity of ac- 
quiring a good education. 

Even at this early day, when Jerome was only seven- 
teen years old, his mother expressed a fear of his form- 
ing an imprudent marriage, and spoke of the folly of 
marrying " some poor young woman from the caprice 
of the moment," and being compelled to endure her 
" insipid society" and the " torment of bringing up a 
family of children." She urged her father to put such 
'• nonsense " out of her son's head. 
6 



122 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 5th February, 1823. 
Dear Sir — I have received no late letters from you. I wrote 
you the report of Madame's death was untrue. I wrote you his 
father was entirely ruined by his extravagance and that of his wife. 
I hope Bo will apply this unhappy example, and by his prudence 
and economy show it has not been thrown away upon him. Young 
people are all foolish and unreflecting ; they live only for the pres- 
ent moment, and it is useless to expect from them the wisdom which 
only age and experience of the world can give. I have labored for 
years to give him a little premature discretion, and I am not en- 
tirely without hope that he is rather more reasonable than most 
children of his age. His position is more difficult than that of 
any other young person, because it is more conspicuous and people 
expect more sense and better conduct from him than are exacted 
from the middle classes. I should like to know that he is atten- 
tive to his studies, and that his patience resists all temptation to 
idleness and frivolous amusements. I do not object to his being 
amused when it is not at the expense of his serious duties. On the 
contrary, I have ever encouraged him to take as much pleasure as 
he could find which was unattended with future inconvenience. I 
am not sorry he is in America at this time. A war in Europe ren- 
ders it imprudent to educate him here. We are too near coun- 
tries about to begin hostilities to allow young men to pursue learn- 
ing quietly. My desire to secure some provision for Bo leads me 
to exercise great economy. He has rank in Europe which places 
him in the best and highest society; this, no caprice or variable dis- 
positions on the part of any one can change ; but he owes much 
to this very position. It demands from him good education, pru- 
dence, and good manners. It requires every exertion on his part 
not to appear unworthy of the distinction his name gives to all who 
bear it. I always acted on this principle in my unceasing endeav- 
ors to inspire him with elevated ideas and ambition above what 
might be necessary in the situation of other young people he was 
called upon to know. It is very possible he would have been more 
happy with less dignity of rank ; at all events, he might have been 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 23 

idle with fewer bad consequences had he been born the heir of 
some rich American ; but true sense consists in making the most 
of the destiny which has been given us, and this exacts industry in 
learning and sentiments different from those of many very excel- 
lent people, whose lot in life does not oblige them to the same pur- 
suits that his does. I know the utility of money too well to spend 
it foolishly, and I fear a profession will be rather unsuitable to Bo's 
circumstances, although I have never told him so. There is, I 
hope, no danger of his [Bo's] forming an imprudent matrimonial 
connection ; if he cannot marry suitably — and in America he could 
not (with one exception, and that I fear is out of the question) — he 
can live single. Marriage offers no such comforts as to induce 
rational beings to give up their independence without some return 
of advantage. I am at times not happy on the subject of his fall- 
ing in love, recollecting the extreme folly and great simplicity of 
the people he sees, who, without giving a single thought to pru- 
dence or the future, marry some poor young woman from the 
caprice of the moment, and consign themselves to her insipid so- 
ciety and the torment of bringing up a family of children. It may 
be patriotic to sacrifice one's time in this way, but it is not charita- 
ble to one's ^elf, and charity well understood begins at home. I 
hope yo-u, my dear sir, will inculcate to him privately the nonsense 
and absurdity of such marriages, which are unknown beyond the 
New World. In Europe no one marries unless they have the cer- 
tain means of supporting their children 

Adieu, my dear sir. I beg you to advise Bo, and as he has great 
respect for your understanding I am sure your advice will not be 
thrown away. Boys always fancy mothers expect too much from 
them, although I may say poor Bo is reasonable beyond his years. 

Yours very affectionately. 

I should like to have Bo's likeness taken by Jarvis, the man who 
painted him when a child, if it were possible. There is a painter 
here of great eminence, who regrets much not having taken a like- 
ness of him. He says he has the finest head and expression he 
ever saw. He is undoubtedly the handsomest boy I ever saw, 
which in his situation is a great point. I am not sorry he is at 



124 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

college for a few years ; the attention he excited and the admiration 
the ladies in Rome who saw him bestowed on his appearance 
might have had the bad effect of taking him from his lessons. 

When Madame Mere was ill in the autumn of 1822, 
she made her will, in which she left the bulk of her for- 
tune to the son of the Emperor Napoleon. Mine. 
Bonaparte expressed herself very freely about this mat- 
ter, and blamed the old lady for forgetting Jerome, 
especially as she had appeared so fond of the boy when 
he visited her the previous winter. This partiality led 
Mme. Bonaparte to hope that her son would come in 
for a share of his grandmother's money, which had been 
accumulated by saving about two-thirds of her allow- 
ance of one million francs per annum during the em- 
pire. 

It required all Mme. Bonaparte's philosophy to meet 
this new disappointment with tranquillity, but she 
seemed to fear the effect of the announcement upon her 
son, as he was so devoted to his grandmother. 

So much interested was Mme. Bonaparte in the con- 
tents of Madame Mere's will, that she employed a spe- 
cial agent at Rome to ascertain all the particulars. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 14 February, 1823. 
My Dear Sir — . ... I have heard from a person in Rome 
whom I wrote to, that Madame was given over in September — her 
complaint, violent inflammation. She then made a will, by which 
she left her whole fortune to the son of the emperor, with the ex- 
ception of fifty thousand piastres (dollars) to each of her own sons, 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 125 

and twenty-five thousand dollars to each of Lucien's sons. Her 
daughters appear to have been entirely overlooked, although one 
of them has four children unprovided for. I have little doubt that 
her family are all dreadfully disappointed, and most of all Jerome, 
who has two children by his wife, and has spent every shilling he 
had on earth. It is needless for me to give my opinion of this pro- 
cedure. If anything would surprise me, I might say that she 
ought to have left as much to Bo as to the sons of Lucien ; but the 
events of this life, whether capricious or unjust, have lost all nov- 
elty for me. 

I suppose she thought herself in duty bound to leave all to the 
child* whose father was the origin of her fortune, although he is the 
person who least requires her aid — this was well enough, particu- 
larly as her other sons and daughters might have saved millions 
as she had done ; but she might and ought to have left Bo some- 
thing, and her not having done so has surprised every one except 
me. I beg you to say nothing to him on this subject, as, after all 
her professions and apparent affection, he, not knowing human 
nature, must naturally be shocked at such injustice. I shall write 
to him myself — at all events, this is no subject to talk about in pub- 
lic, and he must write to her as if he did not know what she had 
done. She is now quite well. I am not a little surprised at the 
publicity given to her will, which I suppose, however, got out 
through the person employed to make it. It could not have been 
her intention that it should have been known ; the curiosity of her 
family obtained the secret, if, indeed, she made one of it, and their 
disappointment has no doubt made a noise. I know their expec- 
tations were very different when I saw them. I suppose her 
knowledge of the emperor having left nothing to his son induced 
her to make such a will, or perhaps she received some communi- 
cations from the persons who returned after his death, which com- 
pelled her to comply with a desire of his to provide for this boy. 
I could bear her out so far, because I like justice ; but her leaving 
twfaty-five thousand dollars to Lucien's sons, and cutting off all 
her Dther grandchildren, proves that she was under some other in- 
fluence. I must write this to Bo, and most sorry am I to be 
obliged to announce to him the little reliance there is to be placed 
on appearances. She took such interest, and appeared so partial 



126 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

to him, that he cannot help feeling his faith in virtue shaken. She 
ought to have said she meant to leave him nothing. 

The letter I have received is from a person whom I charged to 
find out every particular without mentioning me. He was absent 
some months after the arrival of my letters. I think I can rely 
upon him. I am, of course, not to know this, nor is Bo to act as 
if he did; in the meantime, I feel sick at the stomach — the way in 
which unjust proceedings always affect me. 

I fancy her family are not much at their ease, such a blow as it 
is to them ; none of them are rich, but her and Joseph, who calcu- 
lated upon at least four hundred thousand dollars from her in 
addition to his present immense fortune. Some of the others, no 
doubt, were spending all their own money calculating on what she 
would leave them. Bo will painfully discover that I have some 
knowledge of life. My advice to him always was : " Take an 
education, none of them are to be relied upon." Young people 
cannot be expected to entertain the same distrust that those who 
have lived longer, if they have any sense, must do. We see older 
persons go on flattering themselves with expectations which gen- 
erally end in disappointment. I never knew any one who lived 
upon the hope of spending an inheritance, who did not inherit dis- 
appointment, after spending their means in the interval. 

I shall write to Bo in a few days to announce this. I am willing 
to spare him a little longer the pain of hearing it — at all events, he 
must write as usual to her. 

I shall write Miss Spear in a few days. I beg you not to men- 
tion the contents of this letter until I have written to Bo myself, 
as I wish him to hear it from me before you tell it to him. He 
never can bear to hear anything against his family, and I know he 
was very fond of his grandmother, and that he is always mortified 
when anything comes to light against them, and that his feelings 
will be dreadfully hurt by her conduct. 

I remain, my dear sir, yours very affectionately. 

Please take care that George and Henry do not know this. 

The day after writing the previous letter, Madame 
Bonaparte again addressed her father upon the subject 



MADAME BONAPARTE. \2*J 

of Madame Mere's will, and gave him some additional 
particulars about the same. She also wrote to her son, 
informing him that any expectations he may have formed 
from his grandmother's fondness for him should be dis- 
pelled. She thought it was her duty not to allow 
Jerome to encourage hopes which might lead to habits 
of prodigality. In her opinion, America was not a coun- 
try where economy was properly understood and prac- 
tised, it being rather a subject for ridicule than praise. 

Madame Bonaparte began her economical habits soon 
after the annual allowance of twelve thousand dollars 
was settled upon her by Napoleon. 

The money thus given to her by the emperor was the 
nucleus of the large fortune which she afterward accu- 
mulated by a long life of saving and shrewdness in mak- 
ing investments. 

Again, Madame Bonaparte expresses her dread of 
her son's making an imprudent match — of all fatal im- 
prudences, that, she said, would be the greatest. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, February 15, 1823. 
I write to Bo and you to-day, to inform you both of all I have 
learned respecting Madame. She is now quite well. The report 
of her death originated from her having been despaired of in Sep- 
tember. She then made a will by which she left her whole fortune 
to the son of the emperor by Marie Louise, excepting only fifty 
thousand dollars to each of her own sons, and twenty-five thousand 
dollars to each of Lucien's sons. As her son Jerome is ruined and 
in debt, and has an expensive wife and her two children to provide 
for, she being entirely without property herself, fifty thousand dol- 



128 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

lars are of little use to them. I suppose the emperor wrote to her 
in his last moment to provide for his son, which he was unable to 
do himself, having left his whole property to the people who emi- 
grated to St. Helena with him. She owed everything to him ; 
therefore justice demanded that she should leave the greater part 
of her savings to his son; but justice might have induced her to 
leave something to Bo, and her not having done it does no honor 
to her reputation. Her fondness of him, and her attentions, must 
naturally have led the child to suppose she would not have acted 
in this way ; therefore it was with great reluctance that I wrote 
him these particulars, but duty required that I should not allow 
him to encourage hopes which might lead to improvidence or hab- 
its of prodigality on his part. 

The country he now inhabits offers no examples of proper atten- 
tion to economy, which is there rather a subject for mirth and ridi- 
cule than for praise. I am seldom surprised by disappointments, 
looking for them as naturally as if they made a part of my exist- 
ence ; but if surprise had any influence over me, Madame's will is 
calculated to excite this feeling. My only comfort is that Bo may 
make some use of this lesson : it may teach him to distrust appear- 
ances, and to depend only on his own prudence ; it may teach him, 
too, the folly of extravagance and spending on the calculation of 
future means. As she intended leaving him nothing, it is much 
better he should know it, that his character and habits may be 
formed accordingly. 

It was, however, with great pain that I wrote him all I had 
learned from a person in Rome, whom I had charged to obtain in- 
formation for me. The absence of my correspondent, who was in 
Sicily during some months, prevented his making the inquiries 
sooner, and the mission was too delicate to entrust to another. Of 
course, it was done secretly, and I was not ostensible. 

Disappointments certainly teach prudence, except to fools, who 
live uncorrected by experience ; but they spoil the character so far 
as to render people sometimes too desponding, and produce idle- 
ness and want of energy. Extremes, either of prosperity or adver- 
sity, produce often the same result on the mind. All these incon- 
veniences I revolved in my mind, but I still feel it my duty to tell 
Bo what he must be surprised at after her reception of him. Her 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 29 

family had little idea, I fancy, of such strict justice, if so she calls 
it. I had calculated largely on her affection for them predominating. 
I cannot say that I think her wrong, except in having left nothing 
to Bo. 

It now remains for Bo to write to her as usual, and to appear as 
if he did not know all this. He always feels unhappy when his 
relations are found fault with on any subject ; therefore, I hope no 
one will mention this before him. 

He has more discretion than most young people on all subjects, 
and I have always the hope of his acquiring habits of study, which 
will either procure him the possibility of taking a profession to 
make money— which, to be sure, in his situation is not very agreea- 
ble — or, if he cannot get money, a good education will teach him to 
fill time with comfort to himself and credit to me. 

Adieu, my dear sir, 

Yours very affectionately. 

I hope Bo will be prudent enough to write and act as if I had 
not found out all I have written him. I will be much obliged to 
you to point out the propriety of keeping on the best terms with 
them. It is very well to know all this, but there would be no sense 
in showing any disappointment. The dread of Bo making some 
imprudent match is ever on my mind — of all fatal imprudence, that 
would be the greatest. 

It is almost the only 'misfortune from which a person of sense 
cannot recover, and in America there is no attention paid by par- 
ents to this subject. Here it is the parents who make all matches, 
and much better it should be, for they always lo,ok out for money. 

In one of her letters to Lady Morgan, Madame Bona- 
parte complains that Geneva is " intolerably expensive — 
quite as much so as Paris ; there exists, too, an esprit de 
corps, or de coterie, appalling to strangers — I mean to 
woman strangers, for men are les bienvenus par tout. 

" . . . They have a custom here parmi les gens du 
haut y de prendre a un prix tres fort des etrangers en 



I30 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

pension settlement ''pour lenr agre'ment.' In these gen- 
teel boarding-houses there is no feast to be found, un- 
less it be the feast of reason ; the hosts are too spirituel 
to imagine that their pensionnaires possess a vulgar ap- 
petite for meat and vegetables, tarts and custards ; but, 
as I cannot subsist altogether on the contemplation of 
la belle Nature, I have taken a comfortable apartment 
for six months, en ville, where I hope I shall get some- 
thing to eat. La belle Nature, Mont Blanc, le Lac de 
Geneve, le beau coucher du soleil, le lever magnifique de 
la lime, are in the mouth of every one here, and parois- 
sent tenir lieu de toute autre chose. I am writing you 
all this — perhaps my letter will never reach you. Adieu, 
my dear friend ; tell Sir Charles everything amiable for 
me, and be convinced of the sincerity of my affection for 
you both. My health is entirely restored, and I am 
much less in the weeping mood than when you saw me 
— I was so ill physically that I had not sufficient force 
to support les tnanx morales." 

In a subsequent letter from Geneva, Madame Bona- 
parte informs Lady Morgan that she is devoured by 
lethargy and ennui, and says that another work from 
her ladyship's pen alone could rouse her from depres- 
sion : 



It is only you that have both power and inclination to make me 
forget the ennui of existence, and only in your society that I am 
not entirely bete. What shall I do with the long mornings in 
Geneva ? You know you laughed me out of my maitre de litterature, 
which, par parenthese, was very inconsiderate, unless you could 
have pointed out some more amusing method of killing time 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 131 

Baron Bonstettin came to see me to-day ; you were the subject of 
our conversation : nothing but admiration and regret when we talk 
of you. 

How is dear Sir Charles ? He is the only man on earth who 
knows my value, which has given me the highest opinion of his 
taste and judgment. 

The Marchioness de Villette wishes me to spend a month with 
her in Paris. I cannot go, although it would be great soulagement 
to converse with a person who loves me — one has always so much 
sur le coeur, and in this country they are so heartless. 

I do dedommager myself a little by uttering all the ridiculous 
things which come into my brain, either about others or myself. 

Do not let me forget to tell you that Mr. Sismondi has made my 
acquaintance — he is married too. I wonder that people of genius 
marry ! By the way, I recollect that you are an advocate for le 
marriage. Oh ! my dear Lady Morgan, I have been in such a 
state of melancholy, that I wished myself dead a thousand times — ■ 
all my philosophy, all my courage, are insufficient sometimes to 
support the inexpressible ennui of existence, and in those moments 
of wretchedness I have no human being to whom I can complain. 
What do you think of a person advising me to turn Methodist the 
other day, when I expressed just the hundredth part of the misery 
I felt ? I find no one can comprehend my feelings. Have you 
read Les Meditations Poetiques de Lamartine ? There are some 
pretty things in them, although he is too larmoyant, and of the bad 
school of politics. Miss Edgeworth is here. I visited her ; she came 
to see me with Professor Pictet, and we have never met. 

She has a great deal of good sense, which is just what I particu- 
larly object to, unless accompanied by genius, in my companions. 

It is only you that combine tons les getires d' esprit, and whose 
society can compensate me for all the losses and the mistakes of 
my heart ; but I shall never see you again ; those whom I love 
and who love me are always distant ; I am dragging out life with 
indifference. They are so reasonable and so unmoved in this 
place, their mornings devoted to the exact sciences, the evenings 
to whist, that in spite of myself I am obliged to read half the day. 
There have been some English, but I have seen little of them. 
They would not like me. I am too natural otc naturelle. I believe 



132 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

that women are cold, formal, and affected — just my antipodes, 
therefore we should not be agreeable to each other ; besides, they 
require a year to become acquainted, and I have too little of life 
left to waste it in formalities. 

I have seen a German countess — that means seen her every day 
during three months ; she is a practical philosopher of the epicu- 
rean sect, a person just calculated to make something of life— un- 
like me as possible — she has a great deal more sagacity ; to do her 
justice, she tried to debar as ser me of what she called mes idees 
rontantique et mes grandes passions j but I am incorrigible, and go 
on tormenting myself about things which I cannot change. She 
has more coarse common sense, with greater knowledge of the 
world, than any person I have ever known. I wish I resembled 
her, because I should be more happy. 

Adieu, my dear Lady Morgan. Write me frequently ; your 
friendship is among the few comforts left me. 

E. P. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 33 



CHAPTER IX. 

Mme. Bonaparte, Napoleon, and Byron. — Albert Galatin. — Letters from 
Paris. — Extravagance of the Baltimore Merchants. — Robert Morris. — 
Mme. Bonaparte makes a Will. — Reports of her second Marriage. — Love 
in a Cottage. — She hopes Jerome will escape all Matrimonial Snares. — 
He must distinguish himself in Life. — She is pleased with his diligence 
at College, but displeased with the Expense of his Education. — Jerome 
offers to reduce his Expenses. — Mme. Bonaparte deplores the Solitude of 
a Single Life. — John Jacob Astor. — Miss Astor. — Sismondi. — The Wa- 
verley Novels. — 1823. 

It was always a matter of regret to Madame Bonaparte 
that she never met the two most celebrated men of her 
time — Napoleon and Byron. That she did not meet 
Napoleon was no fault of hers ; had they met, both of 
their destinies might have been changed. It has been 
happily said that Elizabeth Patterson would have been 
a suitable match for the great Napoleon, instead of the 
weak Jerome ; her wit, beauty, and ambition would have 
helped him to rise, while her prudence, common sense, 
and practical wisdom would have taught him when to 
stop in his dazzling career. She would have exercised 
that good influence over him which Josephine was too 
timid and Marie Louise too silly to attempt. 

Byron, who had been charmed by the graceful accom- 
plishments of Lady Blessington, desired to see Madame 



134 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Bonaparte, whose beauty and suffering had made her an 
European celebrity. But it was not to be. In the sum- 
mer and autumn of 1.815, when Madame Bonaparte was 
at Cheltenham, Lord Byron was in London in the midst 
of those domestic troubles which were to have so decided 
an effect upon his life and writings. In the September 
of the following year, while Madame Bonaparte was en- 
joying the long anticipated pleasures of Paris, Lord 
Byron was boating on Lake Geneva with his new friend 
Shelley ; while Madame Bonaparte was living in Geneva, 
in 1819-20, Byron was in Italy ; in the winter of 1821-22, 
when Madame Bonaparte was in Rome, Byron was in 
Pisa; in the spring of 1822, when Madame Bonaparte 
visited Florence for the first time, Byron was at Leg- 
horn ; in the summer of 1823, while Madame Bonaparte 
was enjoying the gayety of Paris, Byron was preparing 
for the glorious struggle for Grecian independence ; and 
in the spring of 1824, while Madame Bonaparte was pre- 
paring to return to America, Lord Byron died at Misso- 
longhi. 

In May, 1823, Madame Bonaparte again visited- Paris, 
where she spent the summer. From that city she wrote 
the following highly interesting and characteristic letter. 
The reader is admonished to accept some of her remarks 
upon certain men and women cum grano salts. She 
seemed to grow in bitterness as she grew in age ; in 
writing of one family in particular, she always manifests 
the most determined antipathy — her pen becomes a dag- 
ger, her ink poison. Her letters to Lady Morgan are 
entirely different in style and subjects from those written 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 135 

to her father. To Lady Morgan she confesses her ennui, 
her depression of spirits, her disappointment of life's 
enjoyment. To her father she describes the brilliant 
scenes in the midst of which her life is passed — parties., 
festivities, and entertainments of all kinds, her social 
triumphs are recorded, all the great people she meets 
are mentioned, and she seems to exist in an atmosphere 
filled with music, -flowers, sunshine, and enchantment. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, May 6, 1823. 

Dear Sir — The Galatins leave Paris on the 15th of this month, 
for Havre, whence they will sail for America. He has obtained 
from the American Government leave of absence for six months. 
I presume his return to France will depend upon the state of his 
affairs at home. They have been excessively kind to me in every 
way, and have always, when I have been in Paris, asked me to 
dine every day, if I liked it. Mrs. Galatin desires Bo to see her, 
if he can, in passing through New York. Mr. Galatin * is highly 
respected by every one in Europe, and excessively admired for his 
talents. I fear it would be difficult to represent the country half 
as well, if he should decline continuing minister. I think the plan 
now is to marry young Murat to the rich young lady, f He is 
gone out — sent probably by his mother, who, I know, wrote when 
I was in Rome to beg her brother to take him. I am pretty sure 
the grandmother does not approve of the arrangement ; but, as 
she leaves her whole fortune to the son of Marie Louise and the 
emperor, giving to her own sons fifty thousand dollars each, and 
nothing to her daughters, it is probable that they have all resolved 



* Albert Galatin, who was Secretary of the Treasury under Jefferson. At 
this time he was Minister to France. 

t Joseph Bonaparte's daughter, the young lady whom Jerome came over 
to marry. 



136 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

not to attend to her wishes, which were very decided to make the 
match for Bo, whose father she likes much more than either of her 
daughters, whom, I fancy, she does not like at all. I fancy she 
conceived it her duty to leave her fortune to the son of the empe- 
ror, when she found that his father had left him nothing, which 
none of the family expected. She is not dead ; but during her ill- 
ness last autumn she made a will in his favor, leaving her own 
family to the care of Providence. They are so prodigal, that she 
had, indeed, little prospect of benefiting them by her savings, 
which would have passed like water through a sieve, if left to them. 
I wish, however, she had left poor Bo something. I am in hopes 
he will know the value of money better than his father. I have 
been pretty regularly paid twelve hundred dollars per annum for 
the last two years for Bo's expenses ; but, as his father is ruined, I 
have little expectation of this sum being continued, and I spend 
not a farthing more than I should do if he had not promised it. It 
is only so much out of the fire ; whilst it is paid I shall take it 
thankfully, but no one can suppose I should be such a fool as to 
spend upon an uncertainty. In money affairs, it is ridiculous to 
speculate upon sums not received. I am uneasy about Bo's get- 
ting the ridiculously extravagant habits of the Americans, who 
always live beyond their means. George and Henry used to have 
a great contempt for anything like economy, and the whole family, 
indeed, gave an example of prodigality and thoughtlessness about 
expense, which I should consider a great misfortune in a child of 
mine. Bo has rank — his name places him in the first society in 
Europe ; but if he contracts the idea of indulging every whim and 
pampering himself in the way the boys in Baltimore do — if he 
learns to think that idleness and luxurious habits make a man of 
consequence, his present advantages of situation will be lost. His 
system ought to be quite different from that thoughtlessly pur- 
sued by the sons of men of fortune, whose labors serve to spoil 
their families ; he must remember that his position requires indus- 
try and unremitting care of his money ; and that, although the 
first people in Europe would like his society, and place him on an 
equality with themselves, that none of them would either give or 
lend a farthing. Mrs. Galatin tells me no one ever spoke of him 
except to praise him. I am delighted to hear this, and I hope 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 37 

and trust he will never be influenced by imprudent young men to 
lose his time or spend anything beyond wha.t is absolutely neces- 
sary.- I shall, of course, never object to any expense that regards 
education, which I consider the best fortune that can be given to 
any one : it procures the means of living to those who are poor, 
and it prevents the rich resorting to bad company or frivolous oc- 
cupations to get through time. 

I came here with Miss Allen, the sister-in-law of Sir James 
Mcintosh and Mr. Sismondi, both men of celebrity. She travelled 
with a large German Bible, prayed regularly, kneeling morning ■ 
and evening ; in short, I was forced to say nothing whenever she 
talked of religion, as I found she had taken it into her head to 
make a Methodist of me during the journey 

I have heard that Purviance says a divorced woman should use 
her maiden name in all legal proceedings. Consulted by me for- 
merly on this subject, he assured me the name was immaterial, and 

I used that of Bonaparte in all purchases of property 

One of the best mathematicians in Europe gave lessons to Bo in 
Geneva. He has said that Bo may attain any proficiency in mathe- 
mathics, and that he has a strong head. I hope he will neglect 
nothing to improve himself. 

Bo was very much attended to by all hands in Europe, and ad- 
mired by every one. Some ladies in Rome ran after him so much 
that I feared his being spoiled, although he seemed quite uncon- 
scious of it, supposing probably that women old enough to be his 
grandmother could not be foolish enough to fall in love with him. 
It is certain that his beauty attracted great attention ; a German 
princess told me that she had followed him once in Geneva, at a 
ball, from room to room, to look at him, and that he was the hand- 
somest creature she ever saw. He certainly is the handsomest 
boy I ever saw of his age, and in all respects the finest creature 
possible. His modesty and good sense alone prevent his being 
spoiled, for I assure you he received attentions sufficient to 
have turned much older heads. The Duke of Wiirtemberg , 
(brother of the late king) advised me to ask for the twelve hundred ' 
dollars from Prince Jerome. He censured both Jerome and his 
wife (she, by the way, is his own niece) for their folly, extrava- 
gance, and improper conduct in not maintaining Bo, and in' 



I38 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

sisted upon my writing to Jerome to make him an allowance. I 
found the duke and duchess always very obliging. They assured 
me that anything in their power I might always command for Bo. 
I suppose you know that great people only mean, when they say 
" You may command us," that they will invite to their houses, or 
recommend to other great people, or speak a good word if one is 
looking for a place from government. None of them ever give 
money, which, indeed, they seem much more bare of than Ameri- 
can merchants. The duke once asked me what I thought of him 
when he arrived at Geneva. I replied, " I was surprised at your 
highness asking to know me and my son ; " his answer was, " The 
Emperor of Russia would have done the same." He inquired par- 
ticularly into my mode of education for Bo ; gave me a great deal 
of advice respecting his morals — among other things he advised 
me not to let him smoke, because he had lost all his own teeth by 
the use of his pipe ; but, as he is upwards of sixty, it is possible 
that time may have aided tobacco. He told me the Emperor 
Alexander, his nephew, had promised to allow Jerome and his 
wife sixty thousand francs annually ; that he thought the money 
badly bestowed, because they were two spendthrifts who had run 
through immense sums. Miss Clagston, now Mrs. Astor, is here, 
delighted with matrimony and French funds. I dined with her 

yesterday. She tells me that the Duke of Wellington gave 

a cool reception on her second visit to England. That the duke is 

said to be tired of the s ; but, tired or not, they pursue him, 

live on his estate, and until he gets them husbands he will never 
get rid of them. She tells me they are considered mere adventur- 
ers and swindlers, but that she should not be surprised at their 
taking in some men to marry them, because men are seldom 
matches for the impudence, perseverance, and artifice of women. 
Miss Clagston knows the world, has a good deal of sense and 

shrewdness, which all the Scotch have. She found the s 

out immediately. and both made their way in Europe 

by impudence ; two more ignorant, unprincipled asses never left 
their own country. People in Europe are beginning to think the 

Americans as shrewd as the Genevans and Scotch. The s 

have been a great disadvantage to the American character by the 
fraud they practised to get husbands, in affirming they had forty 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 39 

thousand pounds fortune, besides great expectations from grand- 
papa. I shall in future direct Bo's letters in the name of "Edward 
Percival," to avoid danger at the post-office or curious people 
opening my letters to him at sea. I have seen passengers amuse 
themselves reading the backs of letters. The letter-bag is often 
turned out when they have nothing better to amuse them, and let- 
ters bearing his name would be a resource during the tedious mo- 
ments of a sea-voyage. It will be proper to tell George and Henry, 
that they may not mistake letters with this address. Frances 
Galatin is much admired in Paris. She is a beauty, but the 
beauty of Venus would never marry any one in France without 
money. I forgot to mention to Bo that the Count de St. Criq's 
uncle died a year since and left him a hundred thousand dollars. 
I am sure I did not expect the uncle would die so soon. He turns 
out to be very rich, as, added to the hundred thousand dollars, his 
father has made a large fortune. Every one gets some luck for 
their sons except me. My journey to Rome produced compli- 
ments, honors, attentions for Bo ; but I always said Bo would be, 
like myself, an object of admiration, and that plainer people would 
get more money. His grandmother and the cardinal were very 
fond of his company, very liberal in expressions of commendation 
— poor Bo! I hear of every one getting a lucky chance except him. 

The marriage with Murat's son does not surprise me, as the uncle 
is notorious for want of stability in his plans, and there is no French- 
man whose word is less brittle than pie-crust. The people on the 
continent of Europe have not the most remote idea of truth or 
principle in any way, and no one can live long with them and re- 
main ignorant of their being utterly destitute of anything like 
moral feeling. 

The Swiss, reputed honest, are quite as interested and fraudulent 
as the French ; they have more sense, but are less agreeable than 
the French. In Geneva they cheat from the highest to the lowest 
classes, and all aid in plundering the English who go there. They 
aave acknowledged to me that there are different prices for them 
and for strangers. The English women pay exactly double what I 
do for sedan chairs, servants' wages, &c. No one in the country 
ever tells the real price when applied to for information. 



140 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

I was the first traveller who found out what the Genevans really 
paid, and it required some address to get at this useful information. 
They show me great respect for my adroitness, and seem to con- 
sider me now worthy of being dealt fairly with in prices. No Jew 
has ever been able to get a living in Geneva. The French prov- 
erb is: " It takes four Jews to make a Genevan." They are the 
cleverest people in Europe and the most roguish, not excepting the 
Italians. 

From Paris Madame Bonaparte watched, with her 
usual intelligence, the war which was then going on be- 
tween France and Spain. England, she said, crippled 
by the extraordinary efforts she had made during the 
Napoleonic wars, found her interest in maintaining a strict 
neutrality. Even at that early period the sovereigns of 
Europe were jealously attempting to keep down what 
Madame Bonaparte calls " liberal ideas." She declares 
that there is a confederacy of kings banded together 
against the introduction of free governments into Europe. 
From the subject of European politics she proceeds to 
condemn the extravagance of the merchant princes of 
Baltimore, and alludes to the fatality attending the 
building of " palaces " there. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, May 22, 1823. 

Dear Sir — I have received your letters enclosing those of M. 
Spear, dated 21st March and 5th April. I have received two from 
Bo, in the last of which he mentions having had a bad cold and sore 
eyes. 

One of the best oculists in London says, weak eyes should be 
washed with cold water ; but that inflamed eyes should always be 
washed with warm instead of cold water. There is war between 



MADAME BONAPARTE. HI 

France and Spain. Before it actually was declared, or rather before 
the French army marched into Spain, every one predicted great 
calamities to the French government ; since that, we hear nothing 
more, and people appear quite pleased and tranquil in Paris. 
England is perfectly resolved to maintain her neutrality, unless 
directly attacked. They have no money, and must let the powers 
of the Continent do everything, except take their possessions 
abroad, their ships, or commit some outrage upon them, such as 
they are now doing on Spain — nothing less than these three 
things will induce the English ministry to declare war, for two good 
reasons — want of money, and fear of Jacobinism. The object of 
all the governments on the Continent is to keep down what are 
called liberal ideas, and as they have patronage and money, it is 
not likely the Revolutionists will get any advantage over them. 
There is a confederacy of kings against those who entertain the 
desire of introducing free governments, and it is natural to suppose 
that the former, united as they are, must be successful. 

I think it very wrong of the people in Baltimore to speculate on 
the possibility of a general war ; they ought in common prudence 
to avoid risking their capital until they see how things turn out on 
the Continent. The war between France and Spain, of course, 
throws more business into their hands ; but, to make any specula- 
tions to the success of which a general war of the powers of Europe 
would be necessary, is, I assure you, highly imprudent. What I 
have mentioned of the determination of the English government to 
keep England neutral, you may rest assured I have had from good 
authority ; and that the French people will submit to anything and 
everything, rather than undergo another revolution, is certain. 
The Holy Alliance are pledged to aid each other on every occasion, 
which renders revolutions much more difficult than they were for- 
merly. I have had a conversation with an American merchant, 
who tells me he has no doubt the people in Baltimore will act as if 
they were sure all Europe was in combustion again, and be ruined 
again, as they were by former erroneous calculations. I am re- 
solved, when a favorable moment arrives of public confidence being 
restored in State banks or institutions of any descriptions in Balti- 
more, to sell out and place my money in the United States Gov- 
ernment stock, which I believe to be the only secure investment in 



142 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

the country. I shall never forget the depredations committed on 
banks, which brings me to speak of my regiet at hearing of the 
death of poor James Buchanan, whose father has, by this tragical 
event, been severely punished for the folly which led him tc build 
and furnish with regal magnificence a palace. 

I am sorry to express my conviction that General Smith's fine 
house and the extravagant mode of living he introduced into Balti- 
more caused the ruin of half the people in the place, who, without 
this example, would have been contented to live in habitations 
better suited to their fortunes ; and certainly they only made them- 
selves ridiculous by aping expenses little suited to a community of 
people of business. 

It is to be hoped that in future there will be no palaces con- 
structed, as there appears to be a fatality attending their owners, 
beginning with Robert Morris and ending with Lem Taylor. I do 
not recollect a single instance, except that of Bingham, of any one 
who built one in America, not dying a bankrupt. . . . 

It would be a great mistake to judge of the people on this conti- 
nent by what you know of English or Americans, who are much 
less demoralized, and whose ideas of liberty have no resemblance 
to the sentiments entertained by people here, who, provided they 
can get places and pensions, care little for forms of government. 

I hear Mme. M.'s * son is gone to Philadelphia, and have little 
doubt he will marry his cousin. I wish them joy of the union, but 
until they have been at church it is impossible to be quite certain 
that the family politics may not change. I rather think the grand- 
mother's wishes were not consulted on this occasion, having some 
reason to believe that she remembers how little her family stand 
indebted to the folly of the young gentleman's father, which con- 
tributed greatly to the misfortunes of the emperor, her son. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Affectionately yours. 

Mr. Galatin wrote to his family in Geneva, recommending me 
most particularly to their attention, and on all occasions both he 

* Madame Murat, widow of Joachim, King of Naples. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 143 

and Mrs. Galatin have shown me kindnesses, and by their treatment 
proved that they liked me more than any American in Paris. He 
was highly respected by the Diplomatic Corps here for his talents, 
and is considered a man of great abilities. Miss Galatin was 
thought a great beauty in Paris. Mrs.. Galatin desires very much 
to see Bo. 

I beg you, my dear sir, to visit Mr. Galatin if he should pass 
through Baltimore, and to ask Mrs. Galatin to dine, if she should 
accompany him — a family dinner would do ; they always had a 
plate every day at their table for me, whenever I was in Paris, and 
as they never did the same for any other American, I feel particu- 
larly grateful to them. 

This long letter was followed in June by the following 
note : 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Dear Sir — I have received yours of 21st of March and 5th of 
April. Please send the enclosed to Bo, and tell him I shall in 
future write to Edward Percival, * as my letters by the Galatins 
will explain. I wrote to you I had been paid fifteen thousand francs 
since my arrival in Europe. The person is completely ruined, and 
is gone to live in Rome. He had promised me six thousand francs 
per annum, but of course he cannot pav them. Pray do not tell 
Bo a word about his grandmother's will, as he likes her very much, 
and there is no use putting children against their relations. I 
have spent two hundred and twelve francs in finery for M. Spear, 
which I have sent to Beaseley. I fancy the Baltimore people will 
ruin themselves in speculations upon a general war, which most 
probably will not take place. I hope Bo is economical. I hear 



* Madame Bonaparte was afraid that her letters would be opened and read 
by passengers on the American packets to beguile the tedium of a long voy- 
age, the letters being very loosely carried in those days; therefore she ad' 
dressed her son as Edward Percival. 



144 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

from M. Spear his teachers praised him to Mr. Eustis. I lvpe and 
trust he will make use of his time and take care of his money. 

Yours, very truly. 
Paris, June 22, 1823. 

I have said nothing about the six thousand francs to my friends,; 
having foreseen they would not be paid for any length of time. 

In the next letter Madame Bonaparte continues to 
" harp on the daughter " of Joseph, and does not seem 
at all pleased at the ider if young Murat's marrying her. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, July 12th, 1823. 

Dear Sir — I enclose a letter for Miss Spear, one from Lord 
Henry Cholmondeley to Bo, and another from myself to him. My 
letters by the Galatins have explained the reason of my directing 
in this name to him [Edward Percival]. Should the count marry 
his daughter to young Murat, I am convinced it will displease 
Madame, who hates the M's cordially. As to me, I shall act just 
as if it pleased me highly, and never take the least notice of it in 
anyway. Bo's conduct ought to be the most perfect indifference, 
and if they are civil he should be so too. He ought to keep well 
with them, if he can do so without meanness. At the moment they 
were marrying me, in the American papers, I was, by comparing 
dates since, making my will. 

Mr. Sheldon, charge d'affaires, has it. I have retained a copy, 
witnessed duly. I am now inclined to corpulency, and subject to 
violent diseases, of course. Last summer I nearly went off with 
an inflammation of the stomach and bowels. Poor Madame Villette's 
sudden death has taught me the necessity of making a will. I have 
left Bo my sole heir, and only wish I had millions to leave him. 
If he dies without legitimate children before the age of twenty-one, 
you are to inherit his whole fortune ; that is, you are to spend the 
income, the principal at your death to be equally divided between) 
the rest of the family. I have left no legacies to any of my acquaint-) 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 145 

ances. When Bo comes of age, if I live that long I shall consult 
and see whether it will be proper to let him dispose of the property 
in case of his death. The present will is drawn up to prevent his 
family inheriting if we should die before he is of age. 

It is improbable that I shall ever marry, but I will marry no one 
unless Bo is made the heir of what I have saved up for him. My 
first inclination and my first duty are to provide for that child, who 
has the charge of a great name, which shall be supported if econ- 
omy and pains on my part can do it. 

I drew up the will myself. Sheldon says, and Warden, the wit- 
nesses, that it is as explicit as possible. I do not wish Miss Spear 
to know I have left her nothing, as it is probable both she and 
Mde. Toussard might have expected me to leave them something, 
to the amount of a hundred dollars, which I have not done. Miss 
Spear writes me that a small pc> ^.on of Mary's land is to be divided 
by law among her husband's heirs. No feelings of romance or false 
delicacy shall prevent my taking what the law allows me, and I 
only regret it is not more. It is not on my own account, because I 
shall never spend a farthing of it, but because I consider the will, 
which left her mistress to dispose after her death of the whole, as 
highly unjust. No one should leave their property from their fam- 
ily, whatever cause of complaint they may have against them, for, 
after all, strangers have less claim on them, and no gratitude. 

The next letter, also, is largely occupied with the 
marriage question. 

Geneva, 9 November, 1823. 

Dear Sir — I have resolved to pass the winter here instead of 
going to Mrs. Payne, which last plan would have occasioned me 
much inconvenience in travelling at this season. I have had no 
letter from Miss Spear acknowledging a box of finery shipped by 
Beaseley from Havre, by my direction. I hope she iound the arti- 
cles agreeable to her taste, which I had chosen as judiciously as I 
knew how. The amount of costs I prefer being paid in America, 
as the exchange, etc., would give me more calculation than the 
money is worth, besides not wishing to place money in the hands 
7 



146 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

of European bankers more than I have at present. It is hazardous 
having deposits with them beyond one's immediate necessities. 

I learn from you with great satisfaction that Bo is now profiting 
by the advice I have never ceased giving him since he came into 
the world, which was, to distinguish himself. It would have been a 
sad mistake if he had fancied an ordinary education or common 
attainments would have sufficed for him. He is too conspicuously 
placed to permit himself to rest contented with the exertions made 
by other people ; and, however agreeable it may be to bear a great 
name, it is less easy to bear it with propriety than one which at- 
tracts less notice. 

I have only to hope that he will continue to pursue his studies 
with his present attention. He is more discreet in his general 
conduct than most young people, therefore I have little fear of his 
compromising himself by folly or imprudence. His expenses 
must unavoidably be greater than those of boys differently circum- 
stanced. I have only to hope he will circumscribe them as much 
as he can with decency and comfort. The unfortunate example 
of his father in this respect will perhaps teach him what is to be 
avoided. Miss Spear's account of his expenditure has not reached 
me. I cannot help thinking the Americans, in general, much too 
luxurious in their habits, and that they confide imprudently in 
their servants. No one here trusts to anything except weights and 
measures and strong locks for the preservation of their property in 
their own houses. I am sorry the Galatins are not likely to re- 
turn, independently of the pleasure I feel in their society. I know 
Mrs. Galatin prefers living in Europe. I believe the little pros- 
pect they had of marrying their daughter in Paris, which is quite 
impossible without giving her what they have not to give — a fortune 
— was the only consideration which reconciled the ladies to going 
home ; and even this weighty calculation could not entirely com- 
fort Mrs. Galatin under the grief of leaving a society which amused 
her. Miss Galatin is very pretty, was very much admired, and 
required only money to have married ; but the truth is, no one will 
take girls without fortunes — people have too much sense here (I 
mean people who are worth marrying) to marry only for love, as 
they do in America. There is now and then, to be sure, a mar- 
riage of inclination made by English men of rank, but the pgla* 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 147 

tins would have been imprudent to calculate upon such rare 
chances ; besides, it requires uncommon good management to 
secure luck of this kind. I was in hopes they would have married 
her to some rich American, and then have come out again. I 
quite agree with you that it is necessary for Bo to keep well with 
his connections, whether the match takes place or not, which, in- 
deed, I fear is not likely ; but there is no use fretting about what 
one cannot help. If he takes a good education and continues hand- 
some, there is always a probability, with his name, of my marrying 
him advantageously. But if I cannot, for " the race is not always 
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong," he has only to live a 
bachelor, because the next best thing to making a good match is 
not to make a bad one. If he were a girl it would be much worse, 
as it would be scarcely possible for me to dispose of her, and would 
be much more necessary ; as it is, I shall not worry myself any 
more about marrying him. If they change their minds it will be 
time enough for me to think of the subject. I do not believe they 
know what they want, but at all events it is quite certain he ought 
to keep well with them, for although they are likely to want and keep 
all the money they have, they are liberal of attentions, professions, 
and apparent affection, which have their value coming from people 
in their situation. Whether sincere or insincere they are not to 
be neglected by him, for many reasons, which of course I need not 
enumerate to any one who knows the world. He has consider- 
able discretion, and much more penetration than young people 
generally possess, who, indeed, one out of a thousand excepted, 
never see further than their noses ; whatever talents and acquire- 
ments they may possess, it is only dear-bought experience or un- 
common ambition that give prudence to make one's way in the 
world. I hope he will get no romantic fancies or false views of 
life where he is. 

The land of romance is now only to be found on the other side 
of the Atlantic. People on this side know the exact value of every- 
thing, and turn existence to its best account. Love in a cottage is 
even out of fashion in novels. I should consider an amiable, pro- 
lific daughter-in-law a very poor compensation for all the trouble 
and anxiety I have had with that boy, and most sincerely hope the 
amiable, scheming (for even in America the women know their 



148 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

own interest, and look as sharply after matches as they do here) 
young ladies will select some other unsuspecting dupe. 

Women in all countries have wonderful cunning in their inter- 
course with men ; they succeed better in America because the men 
there are a century behind them in knowledge of human nature 
and instinct of their true interest. I hope Bo will escape all ambi- 
tious plans of the women he meets, and make himself worthy in 
every way of the pains I have unremittingly bestowed on him, and 
the sacrifice I have made and am still willing to make for him. I 
have desired him to take care of his eyes, which are weak, and 
even to intermit his studies until they are stronger. 

Yours, dear sir, affectionately. 

There have been persons bitten by mad dogs here this summer. 
I have felt uneasy about Le Loup, as possibly they may neglect to 
keep him out of the sun, and to give him plenty of water with a 
roll of brimstone in it — a precaution taken here by the ladies, who 
all keep dogs. Some of them have likenesses taken of their favor- 
ite dogs. 

Although Madame Bonaparte had repeatedly assured 
her father that no money should be spared upon Jerome's 
education, yet she was both astonished and displeased 
when she learned that two thousand one hundred and 
fifty dollars had been expended in fifteen months by 
him. Jerome was conscious that this was an extrava- 
gance that his mother would not allcw, and he requested 
his grandfather not to inform her, until he, Jerome, could 
find out what was the least he could live on at college. 
" The expenses of Southern students," he says, " vary 
from nine hundred dollars to ten hundred and twelve 
hundred a year, and even more. I know a student in 
college at present who spent two thousand three hun- 
dred dollars during his freshman year. Now, I wish to 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 149 

live genteelly, and to be remarked neither for my close- 
ness nor my extravagance. And I hope in future not 
to exceed one thousand a year." In order to reduce 
his expenses, Jerome proposed taking a room-mate, by 
which means he would be able to save half of the cost 
of firewood, lights and rent, but gave as an objection to 
this that it would interfere with his studies. His only 
indulgence was a ride on horseback twice a week ; this 
he offered to give up if his grandfather thought it too 
extravagant. 

In all his letters to Mr. Patterson he expresses him- 
self willing to follow his advice in everything, and always 
signed himself " Your most affectionate and devoted 
grandson." 

Madame Bonaparte said she was willing to allow her 
son eleven hundred dollars a year for his college ex- 
penses, which she thought quite sufficient, and if he 
could save anything without prejudice to his lessons 
out of this sum, he was at liberty to dispose of such 
savings as he liked. 

Geneva, December u, 1823. 
Dear Sir — Your letter of the 21st of October, inclosing one from 
Miss Spear, reached me to-day. I find that Bo's expenses have 
amounted to two thousand one hundred and fifty dollars since his 
return to America — that is, in about fifteen months. I am perfectly 
at a loss to account for such a sum having been spent in such a 
space of time, particularly as he writes me that he accepts no in- 
vitations. He mentions his having furnished rooms ; this might 
have been avoided if he had boarded in a private house, which I 
know is very possible ; at all events, there must have been some 
great mismanagement, which I trust will be remedied in the next 
year, as neither my means nor any possible contingency can warrant 



ISO THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

such expenditure. I am disposed to excuse the folly and thought- 
lessness of youth (wishing it were possible people could come into 
this world wiser than they do) ; but it is quite impossible for me 
to authorize such expense in future, and I must beg you to devise 
some means of restraining him to a more reasonaole mode of liv- 
ing in future. He must not exceed eleven hundred dollars a year, 
which I know to be fully adequate to all proper expenses. Pray do 
not tell him this, as possibly he may now contrive to live upon even 
less. I shall write him my opinion on the subject when I recover 
the first shock Miss Spear's letter has given me. How fortunate it 
is that I have never repeated the experiment of marriage, which, 
indeed, the dread of laying up trouble for my old age in a family of 
children has prevented me from. I perceive content was no end 
of our being ; if people do not marry they are condemned to soli- 
tude, and if they do marry they must make up their minds to toils 
and privations to pay for the indiscretion and extravagance of 
their posterity. I have met with no one who does not complain 
of their lot in some way : those who have no children of their own 
to plague them have those of others, or are tormented in some 
other way. 

I quite agree with you, that abusing the s can do me no good, 

and have resolved not to speak of them again. The prosperity of 
the wicked is a proof that some other state of being attends us, be- 
cause it is impossible -that the world was made by chance ; and as I 
feel convinced of this fact, 1 console myself at the success of in- 
iquity here by - the reflection that the time must arrive when justice 
will be dealt to alf^ I rather believe, however, that from those to 
whom little has been given of intelligence little will be expected, 
which, perhaps, will exculpate that family. At all events, I leave 
them to their fate here and hereafter, having indeed quite enough 
occupation with my own temporal affairs, and feeling that immoder- 
ate hatred ought to be exchanged for silent contempt towards all 
my past, present, and future enemies. 

Mr. A. and daughter are here. He seems, poor man, afflicted by 
the possession of a fortune which he had greater pleasure in amass- 
ing than he can ever find in spending. He is ambitious, too, I 
fancy, for his daughter, to whom nature has been as penurious as 
fortune has been the reverse. She may marry by the weight of 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 15 I 

her person, but any idea of disposing of her except to some painstak- 
ing man of business, or ruined French or Italian nobleman, would 
be absurd. She is not handsome, and sense cannot be bought ; 
therefore they will wander from place to place a long time before 
their object is accomplished. The father has no small portion of 
natural sense, and, could he have commanded the advantages of 
instruction which he gives his children, he might have made that 
figure which he desires, but will never attain for his family. Edu- 
cation improves, but can never give capacity — a truth some people 
never discover. Had Bo been born a fool, I should not have toiled 
to beat learning into him ; as he has natural sense, I thought it my 
duty to give him an education. 

< 13th December. 

Dear Sir — After reflecting last night upon the two thousand 
one hundred and fifty dollars, I have come to the resolution of in- 
sisting upon Bo's spending eleven hundred dollars annually, and I 
beg you to write to him, on reception of this letter, that my instruc- 
tions to that effect have been given to you and Miss Spear. I will 
not on any pretext allow a farthing more ; it is ample, and even 
more than my fortune authorizes me to allow him. I have econo- 
mized in every way myself — perhaps more than my position in 
society allowed, that I might have it in my power to leave him 
above want ; but, although disposed to grant him every reasonable 
indulgence, after procuring him every advantage, however expen- 
sive, of education, I am resolved not to permit him to suppose that 
I was born only to minister to his extravagant fancies. 

I may as well spend my income myself, as see it squandered by 
him ; and there is indeed little encouragement for me to endure 
privations, if their result is to be— 

" This year a reservoir to keep and spare, 
The next a fountain spouting through my heir." 

The fact is, that, being out of the sphere of my observation, he 
has profited by the opportunity to spend my money ; this experi- 
ment shall not, however, be repeated 

I observe what yon say of the proposed departure of the young 



152 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

lady, * to whom I wish a pleasant voyage, hoping the family have 
at length fixed their resolutions respecting her destiny, that no new 
scheme may compel her to take ship a second time, after matri- 
mony. I have remained here to avoid the expense of moving. 

I have conversed with Mr. Steele, a nephew of a Mr. Henry 
Payson, of Baltimore, on the subject of Harvard, where he was 
educated ; he says he spent eight hundred dollars a year. He 
spent the evening at Madame Sismondi's with me. He seems intel- 
ligent, well educated, and has very good manners. There was a 
circle of the most learned men in Europe, whose presence might 
have made a stout heart tremble. To my astonishment, this youth 
bore his situation like a hero. I am sure they must have admired 
his composure, perfect ease without impudence, and really won- 
derfully good manners in so young a person. His self-possession 
was not the result of folly or ignorance, which always give to their 
possessor confidence and self-satisfaction. Mr. Sismondi is the 
author of a voluminous work on the republics of Italy, which I 
recollect having seen at John Smith's, besides having published 
other books. They are a very agreeable family. She is the sister- 
in-law of Sir James Mcintosh. It was with her sister, Miss Allen, 
that I went to Paris last spring. Their society is composed of all 
the most profound literary characters in Europe : so Mr. Steele has 
fallen upon company which requires some intrepidity of disposi- 
tion in those who frequent them. They are all very civil to me ; 
being a woman, of course they only expect me to look pretty. 

I am learning to play whist, which amuses me very much. I am 
sorry to hear Miss Spear's bonnet was damaged, and that she 
thought herself obliged to part with some of them on account of ex- 
pense. They were all in the latest fashion. I suppose you have 
all read Lady Morgan's Italy. I have only been able to procure it 
here in English lately. 

Walter Scott's novels would amuse you very much. They are 
read by people of all ages, and are almost all historical. Nigel 
gave me a perfect idea of James the First of England, as did Ouentin 
Durward of Louis the Eleventh of France. Bo ought to read them 
all. Walter Scott has made a large fortune by his novels. 

* Charlotte Bonaparte. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. I 53 



CHAPTER X. 

Jerome and his Father. — The Former defends himself from the Charge of Ex- 
travagance at College. — Madame Bonaparte returns to America. — She 
shares Jerome's Rustication at Lancaster during his Suspension. — The 
Emperor of Russia and the ex-King of Westphalia. — Madame Bonaparte 
to Lady Morgan. — America a Region of ennui. — The Men all Merchants, 
the Women all Housekeepers and Nurses. — The Dulness of Baltimore. — 
The Stupidity of its Inhabitants. — Madame Bonaparte sighs for European 
Society, while Motives of Economy detain her in Baltimore. — Lafayette. 
— MaHame Bonaparte again visits Europe. — Her Residence in Havre. — 
The Catons. — Mr. Brown, the American Minister to France. — Another 
Scheme for marrying Jerome. — His Views on the Subject of Matrimony. 
Mr. Patterson's Advice to Jerome. — 1824-5. 

ALTHOUGH Jerome did not meet his father till the 
year 1826, still he kept up a correspondence with him 
from the time of his first visit to Rome, in 182 1-2. 
He speaks of having received from him affectionate 
letters, expressing a wish to see his son, and assuring 
him that he would do so before two years had elapsed, 
but did not say how or where. Jerome thought it im- 
probable that his father would visit this country. He 
allowed his son a pension of twelve hundred dollars a 
year. 

We have already seen how displeased Madame Bona- 
parte was on account of the large amount spent by her 
son in the first year of his college life, and her determi- 
7* 



154 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

nation to limit his annual expenses to eleven hundred 
dollars. Thereupon Jerome reduced his expenses as 
much as possible, and lived, as he says, " as economi- 
cally as he could and at the same time maintain the ap- 
pearance of a gentleman."' 

In the following letter he defends himself from the 
charges of extravagance continually alleged against him 
both by his mother and grandfather. 



JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE TO WM. PATTERSON. 

Cambridge, March 3, 1824. 

Mamma complains of my expenses a great deal in three several 
letters which I have just received from her, and says that she will 
allow in future eleven hundred dollars per annum for my expenses. 
I am perfectly satisfied with that sum, and will not let any expenses 
exceed it, and do not think that they will have exceeded it for the 
last year, or, at most, only by the additional expense of going to 
Baltimore, on which subject I consulted you. However agreeable 
it may be for me to go home once a year, I should prefer giving it 
up and not going home again until I graduate ; or, however advan- 
tageous I may conceive a college education to be for me, I should 
prefer giving it up too, rather than to hear these continual and un- 
interrupted complaints about my expenses, when I am conscious 
to myself of doing everything in my power to avoid giving dissatis- 
faction of any kind. When I received a letter from you ten months 
ago of the same nature as the one I have now before me, tho' I 
was much hurt to hear complaints, yet, knowing the cause, and 
conceiving it very possible to avoid the repetition of complaints by 
removing the cause, I was in a measure consoled ; but now I can- 
not find the same consolation when I reflect that I am doing all in 
my power to give you satisfaction, and that your complaints in- 
crease, for during this week I have received four letters, three from 
mamma and one from you, all teeming with reproaches. Adieu, 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 15S 

dear grandfather. I hope to hear shortly from you again. Give my 
love to the family, and believe me ever 

Your most affectionate and Obedient grandson, 

Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Mme. Bonaparte remained in Geneva until the 10th 
of March, 1824, when she left for Paris, intending to 
spend the spring of that year in the French capital. On 
the 19th of May, Jerome wrote to his grandfather from 
Cambridge : " I have received a letter from mamma, 
dated Paris, March 27th. She does not say anything 
certain about her return to this country. I have advised 
her to leave Europe this summer and not to return there. 
I have received another letter from my Cousin Charlotte ; 
she invites me, in the name of her father, to pass the com- 
ing vacation at their country-seat. I have been obliged 
to decline doing so, because the vacation lasts only two 
weeks, and I do not wish to go as far as Philadelphia 
without going to Baltimore, and the vacation is too 
short to do both ; moreover, it would cost a good deal 
of extra money, which is as well saved." 

Finally, on the 15th of July, Mme. Bonaparte sailed 
from Havre for New York, where she arrived toward 
the end of August. We have only one letter from her 
at this period, in which she gives her reason for return- 
ing to America, and her plans during her residence here. 
She also furnishes some interesting facts concerning 
King Jerome. 

Madame Bonaparte was joined by her son immediate- 
ly upon her arrival in America, and accompanied him to 
Lancaster, Massachusetts. For a trifling breach of dis- 



156 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

cipline he had been rusticated for three months, and was 
passing the time in this quiet country town.* She re- 

* The following letter to his grandfather explains the cause of Jerome's 

suspension : 

Lancaster, August 16, 1824. 
Dear Grandfather — Since my last to you, which as yet is unanswered, 
an occurrence has happened which I could neither foresee nor prevent. I 
have been suspended for three months — a circumstance at which I should 
rather rejoice than regret, were I not prevented by it from going home. My 
not being allowed to go home is doubly unpleasant, as it deprives me of seeing 
you for four months, and as I have some business with my uncle, at Borden- 
town, which I shall be obliged to transact by means of letter. I should other- 
wise be rather pleased with my suspension, as it gives me an opportunity of 
improving myself a great deal, and as the cause of it is such as neither to 
injure me in the estimation of the government or any one else. I suppose the 
president has written you all about it ; but, as he may have left out some cir- 
cumstances, I shall give you a detailed account of it. There are several clubs 
in college, authorized by government, which have libraries annexed to them. 
I am a member of one of them, secretary of another. The first, of which 
I am a member, had a meeting on Friday, the 29th of July, for the purpose 
of choosing a librarian, and, after the business of the club was transacted, the 
members stayed about three-quarters of an hour drinking some punch, which 
had been provided for that purpose by the vice-president of the club. There 
was no riot nor disturbance. This club has been assembled regularly two or 
three times a term for the space of fifty years, and has always had something 
to eat and drink after the business of the club had been transacted. Ever 
since I have been chosen a member, about fifteen months ago, I have regu- 
larly attended the meetings, and no notice of them had been taken before by 
the government. The meetings of the club are always published on the 
college boards, so the government must have known that they had meetings. 
I'have been present at twelve of the meetings, which are always held in one 
of the college rooms. No one had ever been punished for them before, and 
I assure you I was not a litrie astonished when the president told me I was 
suspended for three months. He told me at the same time that he was very 
sorry ; that the government was much pleased with my regularity and atten- 
tion to my studies ; that they blamed me, not for anything I had done, but 
only for being a member of a club, which, by the by, they themselves author- 
ized. I do not know what the president has written to you, but the facts are 
as I have stated them. I am aware that you will not blame me for suffering 
an unjust punishment ; but you may think that, had I been more prudent, I 
could have avoided it ; such, however, is not the case, as no prudence can 
teach a man how to avoid that which has never happened before, and of 
which he can have no idea until after it takes place. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. . 1 57 

mained with him until his return to college on the second 
of November, 1824, after which, as we ascertain from a 
letter from Jerome to his grandfather, he accompanied 
her as far as Hartford, where she took the steamboat 
for New York on her way to Baltimore, where she ar- 
rived about the middle of November. In the same let- 
ter Jerome says : " I called to see General Lafayette in 
Boston. I see by the papers that he has paid a visit 
to my uncle at Bordentown. I am glad you have in- 
terested yourself in the preparations being made for his 
reception." In another letter, dated October 24, 1824, 
this wise young man says to his grandfather : "I am 
glad to hear that you have got through with General 
Lafayette. I fear that you must have been very much 
fatigued with the noise and disorder which accompany 
him wherever he goes. I think that the general will 
find that living on honors will not agree with his age and 
broken constitution. The papers say that he is only 
sixty-eight years old. I am sure he looks near ninety- 
eight. He was very civil to mamma when she was in 
Paris ; therefore I called on him while in Boston." 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Lancaster, 23d September, 1824. 
Dear Sir— I observe by the contents of your letter of the 14th 
of this month that you were under the impression that I meant to 
reside in Baltimore, which is not, however, my intention. I am 
fully aware of all the inconveniences which you have pointed out, 
and should be unwilling to expose either others or myself to them 
for any length of time. I came to this country because it is incum- 
bent on me to attend to my property ; and more particularly is my 



158 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

presence necessary at the present moment, that the government is 
going to pay off part of their debt, which will compel me to seek 
some advantageous mode of reinvesting my money. My funds too, 
in t'he State banks, call for my attention. To keep together my 
little property is naturally an object of consideration to me, but I 
think I shall be able to make the changes necessary in three or 
four months at farthest. Jerome must remain two years longer at 
college, and I consider it my duty, after settling my affairs, to be 
as near him as possible, for which reason I shall try to establish 
myself at Cambridge or in Boston. It is very uncertain what he 
may be called upon to do in two years ; if nothing better should 
offer in the interval, it will then be time enough for me to form a 
permanent establishment for him and myself in Baltimore. I can 
be of more use to him at present in New England than I could 
possibly be in Baltimore. I found him suspended on my arrival, 
which annoyed me excessively ; but as every one who has been 
educated at Cambridge has found himself at least once in the same 
predicament, I have consoled myself. His professor of metaphysics 
tells me he has seen no one with a better capacity for this study, 
which is a far greater proof of intellect than the facility of learn- 
ing languages. I have allowed Henry to go on without me, be- 
cause I desire to remain with Jerome until his suspension is past, 
and to avoid the month of October, the bilious season in Balti- 
more. Jerome has, as you know, received several letters from his 
father, who is gone to Trieste, where his nieces, the Misses Baccio- 
chi, reside. They were, I believe, left by his sister, the Princess 
Eliza, under his guardianship. They have large fortunes, and 
would be excellent matches for any young man with a great name 
and a slender purse. Prince Jerome's finances are, I fancy, in a 
very bad state. The Emperor of Russia allows him twelve thou- 
sand dollars annually. His children by the Princess of Wiirtem- 
berg will of course be provided for by her brother the king. I 
suppose Madame will leave the fifty thousand dollars she destines 
for each of her sons in the hands of trustees, who will pay Prince 
Jerome the interest monthly. Without this precaution, his credi- 
tors would seize the whole. I have not received the twelve hun- 
dred dollars from him for the last year ; but as I never spent a 
ifarthing extra whilst it was paid, and as I always calculated upon 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 59 

the non-payment, it causes me no pecuniary embarrassment. I 
have endeavored through life not to let my yearly expenditure ex- 
ceed my income, and have thus avoided the contraction of debts. 
I remain, dear sir, very truly yours, 

E. P. 
Will you have the goodness to remember me to Miss Spear, 
and to say I have been so busy since my arrival that I have written 
to none of my friends. 

During her residence in America, Madame Bonaparte 
wrote to Lady Morgan a letter, in which she took occa- 
sion to assure her that the latter's reputation was as 
great in the United States as in Europe, and adds : 

I wish I could see and listen to you once more ; but this, like 
all my desires, must be disappointed, and I am condemned to 
vegetate for ever in a country where I am not happy. My son is 
very intelligent, and very good and very handsome — all these ad- 
vantages add to the regret I experience at the destiny which com- 
pels me to lose life in this region of ennui. You have a great deal 
of imagination, but it can give you no idea of the mode of existence 
inflicted on us. The men are all merchants ; and commerce, al- 
though it may fill the purse, clogs the brain. Beyond their count- 
ting-houses they possess not a single idea ; they never visit except 
when they wish to marry. The women are all occupied in les 
details de menage and nursing children ; these are useful occupa- 
tions, but do not render people agreeable to their neighbors. 

I am condemned to solitude, which I find less insupportable than 
the dull reunions which I might sometimes frequent in this city. 
The men, being all bent on marriage, do not attend to me because 
they fancy I am not inclined to change the evils of my condition 
for those they could find me in another. Sometimes, indeed, I 
have been thought so ennuyee as to be induced to accept very re- 
spectable offers ; but I prefer remaining as I am to the horror of 
marrying a person I am indifferent to. You are very happy in 
every respect — too much so to conceive what I suffer here. 



l6o THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Paris offers too many agremens, too many agreeable recollections 
— among the latter you are my greatest — and I think with pain 
that I shall perhaps never see you again 

I suppose you will return to Paris, where I hope you will be 
happy and pleased. It is very easy to be pleased and happy in 
your situation, because every one is pleased with you, and you are 
loved whenever you choose to be so. The French admire you so 
much that you ought to live with them. Suppose you were to 
come to this country ; it is becoming the fashion to travel here 
and to know something of us, and I assure you that if you would 
spend some time here you might find materials for an interesting 
work — de toutes les manures. You would make any country inter- 
esting that you wrote about. 

I wish I could return to Europe, but it is impossible — a single 
woman is exposed to so many disagreeable comments in a foreign 
country ; her life, too, is so solitary except when in public, which 
is not half the day, that it is more prudent for me to remain here ; 
besides, I have at present only eleven hundred pounds a year to 
spend, which you know make only twenty-five thousand francs — 
not enough to support me out of my own family, where I have 
nothing to spend in eating, or in carriages, rent, etc 

I should write you more frequently were there any incidents in 
this dull place which might interest you, or any anecdotes that 
could amuse — there are, alas, none. I embroider and read, flour 
me defaire de mon temps — they are the only distractions left me. 
Do you remember the description Madame de Stael gives of the 
mode of life Corinna found in England, and the subjects of con- 
versation at Lady Edgerman's table, which were limited to births 
marriages, and deaths ? I am so tired of hearing these three im- 
portant events discussed, and my opinion of them has been so long 
decided — that it is a misery to be born, and to be married I have 
painfully experienced without lessening my dread of death. So you 
may imagine how little relish I have for the conversation on these 
triste topics, and how gladly I seek refuge from listening to it by 
retiring to my own apartment. 

Adieu, my dear Lady Morgan — ilnefautpas vous ennuyer davan- 
tage. Make my best love acceptable to Sir Charles, and ask him to 
think sometimes of me. Write to me, I entreat you. J'ai plus que 






MADAME BONAPARTE. l6l 

jamais besoin de vos lettres pour me consoler de tout ce que j'a s 

perdu en vous quittant pour revenir dans mon triste pays 

I remain most affectionately yours, 

Eliza Patterson. 

On the 25th of May, 1825, Jerome writes from New 
York to his grandfather : " I went to Philadelphia to 
meet mamma, agreeably to her request, and remained 
there two days, when we left it for this place. We arrived 
here about two hours ago, and shall remain here until 
my vacation is over. I had hoped to go to Baltimore 
to see you during this vacation, but mamma was anx- 
ious to come to New York immediately, so that I have 
not had time and was obliged to defer it. Mamma was 
very much pleased in Philadelphia, and received a great 
many attentions from the inhabitants." 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

New York, June 4th, 182.5. 
Dear Sir — I have been some days here. I find from Mrs. 
Greenwood and Mr. Palmer, whom I had commissioned to get 
lodgings for me in Boston, that there is nothing there which could 
at all suit me. The professors at Cambridge do not approve of the 
mothers of the students living at Cambridge. I have been obliged 
either to determine upon opening my house in Baltimore, or ac- 
companying Mrs. Toussard to Paris, which latter I have preferred, 
as it will not cost me more, and I can purchase my plate and other 
furniture there. I shall board with Mrs. Toussard during my ab- 
sence, which will lighten both her and my expenses. I shall re- 
turn next July, when Jerome leaves college, as it would be unne- 
cessary for me to open house before ; besides that, I should be 
too lonesome living alone. 

I remain, dear sir, affectionately yours, 

E. P. 



1 62 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Should Edward remain a year in Europe I could return with him. 
If he should not, I shall come in with Madame d'Outil, the daugh- 
ter-in-law of Col. Toussard, who is going out to spend a year in 
France, and means to return to this country. 

Thus, on the 6th of June, 1825, Mme. Bonaparte 
again sailed for France for a year's visit. It will be seen 
that; this year extended to nine before she again visited 
her native country. She arrived at Havre on the 4th 
of July, after a quick and pleasant voyage of twenty- 
eight days. She remained in that city over four months, 
and it is difficult to understand why a woman with her 
fondness for gay society should have stayed so long in a 
dull little seaport. In the first letter written to her father 
after her arrival, she gives an account of her voyage and 
of her friends in France. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Havre, 10th of July, 1825. 
Dear Sir — We arrived here on the 4th of the month, after a 
very agreeable voyage. We had a widow lady called Mrs. Ferris, 
of New York, on board, who has joined our party. We have re- 
mained a few days at Havre, to amuse ourselves by visiting the 
towns in the environs, the theatre, etc. Mrs. Ferris is about sixty, 
She will accompany us to Paris, and thence goes to Switzerland 
with her son. The English Consul's family at Havre have been 
very attentive to us. We dine at Mr. Beaseley's to-day. There 
are a great many English ladies here at present. We had no less 
than five widows in the vessel in which we came out. We played 
whist every day, and they seemed to enjoy themselves quite as 
much as if they had been settled at home with husbands. It is 
said that Gen'l Devereux has been imprisoned by the Emperor of 
Austria for having talked too freely about politics. I know not 
vhether the report is true, or whether it was in Austria or in the 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 163 

dominions of the emperor in Italy. It is said that the Princess 
Borghese left her fortune to her two brothers. Louis and Jerome. 
I do not believe that she has much to leave. The Catons have re- 
turned to England. Mr. Reid writes to me that Mr. Brown is still 
very ill, and that they are going to a watering-place for his health. 
Mrs. Brown is very dashing, and goes to all parties in Paris. Mrs. 
Toussard is in great spirits, and seems delighted at getting back to 
France. 

My old maid Estelle has paid me a visit, and is very anxious for 
me to take her again into my service, which I have refused to do. 
Mrs. Toussard and myself have agreed to open house together in 
Paris. Mrs. Payne and her daughters are travelling through Ger- 
many, and will, I hope, spend next winter in Paris. I should be 
much obliged to you to get an act passed next winter to enable 
Jerome to hold and inherit real property in the State of Maryland. 
I think, from what I hear of Mr. Brown's health, that he will not 
be able to continue in France, which will be a sad disappointment 
to her. 

Yours affectionately, 

E. Patterson. 

The Bonaparte family having failed to marry Jerome 
to his cousin Charlotte, did not entirely abandon the 
hope of a favorable marriage for him. In the summer 
of 1825 his father wrote to him that, since that marriage 
did not take place, he had been looking out for another 
match for his son, and asked what his mother could 
give in case a suitable person should be found. To this 
suggestion Jerome replied that his mother's fortune 
Tvas so -small that it would be impossible for her to do 
anything for him. He consults his grandfather as usual, 
in regard to this matter : " I would wish to have your 
opinion on this subject. For my own part, I do not 
think that a wife, however rich she might be, would be 



1 64 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

at all desirable for me. I am too young, by many years, 
to marry, and as long as I can live comfortably with- 
out a wife, I think it more wise not to marry. I am 
perfectly happy and contented with my present situation 
and prospects ; a wife would be apt to mar the whole, 
and as I have been brought up to hold the single state 
as preferable to the married state, my plans have al- 
ways been formed with a view to remaining unmarried. 
If I marry I must change them all. This is my way of 
thinking ; but I would submit it all to your better judg- 
ment and experience." 

In answer to the above, Mr. Patterson wrote to 
Jerome the following excellent advice, although it was 
directly opposed to the known views of his mother on 
the subject. 

WILLIAM PATTERSON TO JEROME NAPOLEON BONA- 
PARTE. 

Baltimore, August 14, 1825. 
My Dear Jerome — I wrote you a few days since in reply to 
your two former letters, since which I have received yours of the 
6th instant, and have duly noted and considered its contents. It 
appears to me that your father has not reflected sufficiently on 
your situation and prospects in this country, to propose looking 
out for a wife for you in Europe. Your education and habits will 
not be at all suitable for the kind of life you must lead there in 
case of marrying and settling in that country nor would it answer 
to bring a wife from thence to this country; for she would never be 
satisfied or reconciled to our manners and customs. Besides, as you 
observe yourself, you are much too young to think of marrying at 
present. Your father's family cannot get clear of the notion of what 
they once were and the brilliant prospects they then had. Their 



MADAME BONAPARTE. l6$ 

fortunes cannot now be very considerable ; they are living in idle* 
ness on what they have, and when that property they now possess 
comes to be divided among their children, it will scarcely keep 
them from want, and the next generation will in all probability be 
beggars. What prospect, then, would you have by marrying into 
such a family, as I presume your father means that you should be 
connected in marriage with some of your own relations ? I hardly 
think you could be reconciled or happy to live in Europe under 
any circumstances. It will be time enough to think of future pros- 
pects and arrangements after you have finished your education. 
Your mother's fortune will be sufficient for you and her so long as 
you can live together, but will not afford a division for two estab- 
lishments. Your father's family are all on the decline and going 
down hill, will soon be so reduced and scattered that they will be 
of no consequence whatever. Should you remain in this country 
and make a good use of your time and talents, you may rise to con- 
sequence ; but in Europe you would be nothing, and must come to 
nothing with the other branches of your family. I have thus given 
you my opinion and advice fully and clearly, which I hope you will 
consider well before you take any steps that might interfere with 
your future happiness. 

I am, dear Jerome, 

Yours very sincerely, 

William Patterson. 



1 66 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



CHAPTER XL 

Madame Bonaparte at Havre. — Lafayette. — The Marchioness of Wellesley. — 
Byron. — Madame Bonaparte at Paris. — Death of Pauline, Princess Bor- 
ghese. — Letter to Lady Morgan. — Madame Bonaparte sends for Jerome 
to visit Italy. — Miss Astor. — The Marquis of Wellesley. — Letter from 
Prince Jerome to his Son. — 1825-6. 

It was while Madame Bonaparte was at Havre that 
Lafayette returned from his visit to the United States. 
She had seen him. the previous year in Baltimore, and 
the day after he arrived in France he called upon her. 

Madame Bonaparte attended all the festivities given 
at Havre in his honor. In a letter written to her father 
at this time she speaks of these, and also alludes to a 
report in the newspapers of a legacy of twenty thousand 
francs left by the Princess Borghese to Jerome. The 
report proved to be correct. The princess died at the 
Borghese Palace, near Florence, on the 9th of June, 
1825. She appointed her brothers Louis and Jerome 
the principal heirs, but left to each of the daughters of 
her sister Caroline thirty thousand dollars. Madame 
Bonaparte rejoiced that her son's name was mentioned 
in the princess's will, as it gave him consequence in the 
family. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 167 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Havre, October 6th, 1825. 

Dear Sir — General Lafayette arrived yesterday, landed at one 
o'clock, and was taken to Mr. La Roche's (his friend) to stay. He 
came to see me this morning. We then went to a public breakfast 
at Mr. Beaseley's. At twelve he set out for Paris in his carriage. 
Madame George Lafayette and her three daughters have been wait- 
ing here for ten days to meet him. There were a great many par- 
ties given to her by the inhabitants of Havre. I was invited to 
them all. General Lafayette desired me to write to you by the 
packet which is to sail on the 15th of this month, to tell you of his 
safe arrival, and to recall him to your recollection. He is quite 
delighted with your present to him of cows. He has requested 
me to write to him when I arrive at Paris, if he should not be there, 
and has expressed his wish to see me at his house at La Grange. 
He wants me to see his cows, he says. Beaseley gave a very fine 
breakfast this morning. His house is so small that he had a tent 
pitched in his garden, under which was the breakfast-table. 
Lafayette left us to set out for Paris. He was accompanied part 
of the way by a number of gentlemen of this place on horseback. 
The Commodore Morris and Mr. Somerville came to the breakfast. 
Somerville appears to be in a dying state, and does not know how 
to take care of himself. He says he will not be able to go to Sweden 
next winter. 1 intend trying the south of France. Edward spent 
ten days with me here. He was quite pleased with France. I 
advised him to try the waters of Cheltenham, where he now is. I 
am certain that his malady is bile. He is very much better, and 
was very much amused at Havre, which he thinks quite as pleasant 
a place to live in as Baltimore. Mr. and Mrs. Mansfield and Mr. 
and Mrs. Hughes were here whilst he was. Mrs. Hughes looks as 
well as she ever did, and Mrs. Mansfield better. Mrs. Hughes 
appeared to regret Sweden very much. She and Mrs. Mansfield 
both agreed that neither of them can ever live in America again. 
Mr. Hughes says that he could live in any place. It does not 
appear to me that Laura's health was the cause of their leaving 



1 68 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Sweden. They take out a governess for Miss and Master Hughes, 
Miss Toussard is still travelling with the Countess Hocquard. She is 
to let me know when they arrive at Paris. I hear that Mary and 
the Catons have gone to Dublin, and are travelling about Ireland. 
I hear that Emily Oliver and Mr. Gibbs are married. I think it 
was very wise in Oliver to make the match. If my son were a 
daughter I should not rest until I got her married ; as it is, I hope 
he will not think of marrying. Mr. Canning, who was in America, 
is married. I wrote to you, Jerome, and Miss Spear, by Hughes. 
I told you that Lloyd Rogers and Gen. Devereux had been very 
much caressed by the King of Westphalia when they were in Rome. 
Devereux told Edward that he had been very much attended 
to by Jerome. One of Lucien Bonaparte's daughters (the Countess 
de Posse) left her husband, a Swedish nobleman, and claimed 
Hughes's protection at Stockholm. She says he treated her ill, and 
in Europe women have fully as much their own way as the men 
have. I have seen by the papers that the Princess Borghese left 
my son a legacy of twenty thousand francs — about three thousand 
five hundred dollars. I wonder if it be true. I very much doubt 
whether her whole estate will pay off the legacies. Whether I get 
paid or not, I am very glad that she has mentioned Jerome's name 
in her will, as it gives him a consequence, and in my opinion con- 
sequence is not to be disdained. The whole family inquire about 
my son of all the Americans who go to Rome, and as you know the 
English and Americans are crazy about that family, it is of great 
importance that they should speak of him in the way they do. 
Lloyd Rogers appears to be very reluctant to return home. I am 
decidedly now of opinion that people who are to live in America 
should never leave it. Mrs. Mansfield says that she is afraid to 
educate her children in France, because they would get a distaste 
for England and never be happy out of France. This is the rea- 
son why she and Mansfield have not moved to Paris. 

Adieu, my dear sir, 

Yours affectionately, 

E. Patterson. * 

General Lafayette looks better than he did last year. Every 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 69 

one in Europe is astonished at the generosity of the American 
Government to him.* 

I am very anxious to get an act passed by the Assembly of 
Maryland to enable Jerome to hold and inherit real property. By 
the amendment which General Smith showed me before my de- 
parture, I found that he would not have the rights of a citizen until 
two years after he became of age. 

In her next letter Madame Bonaparte announces the 
marriage of her sister-in-law, Mrs. Robert Patterson, to 
the Marquis of Wellesley. The lady was the grand- 
daughter of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Her first 
husband died in November, 1822, after which she went 
abroad. 

It is a singular circumstance that two Baltimore 
ladies — themselves nearly related by marriage — should 
become connected — the one with Napoleon, the other 
with the Duke of Wellington. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Havre, November 2, 1825. 

Dear Sir — I write by this packet to announce to you the mar- 
riage of Mrs. Robert Patterson. Mrs. Brown received a letter 
from Betsy Caton the day on which it was to take place. 

She has made the greatest match that any woman ever made, 
and I suppose now that people will see that Mrs. Caton was right 
in starving herself to keep her daughters in Europe. The Marquis 
of Wellesley is Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He is sixty-five. He 
married an Italian singer, by whom he had a family of children. 
She is dead. He has no fortune ; on the contrary, he is over head 

* For the services rendered and sacrifices made in the achievement of 

American independence, Congress had voted to General Lafayet'e, during 

this visit, the sum of two hundred thousand dollars, and twenty-foui thousand 

acres of land, to be chosen from the most fertile part of the national domain. 

8 



170 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

and ears in debt. His salary is thirty thousand pounds per annum 
as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He will be there eighteen months 
longer, and if the king does not give him another place, he is en- 
titled, as a poor nobleman, to at least a thousand pounds a year. 
He is the brother of the Duke of Wellington. 

The Catons, I suppose, will be enchanted at the match, and 
with reason, too, for it gives them a rank in Europe ; and with Mr. 
Carroll's money to keep it up, they may be considered the most 
fortunate in the United States of America. His being without 
fortune is of little consequence when his rank is considered. 
There is not a woman in Europe who would not prefer a man of 
rank, without money, to the richest man in the world who has no 
title. To be sure, it would not have done for a poor woman to 
marry a poor nobleman ; but, of course, old Mr. Carroll will strain 
every nerve to maintain his grand-daughters, now that they have, 
beyond all probability, connected themselves so highly. Mary's 
fortune is reported in Europe to be eight hundred thousand dollars 
cash. It has been mentioned in all the papers at that sum. 

I shall leave this on the seventh of the month for Paris. I shall 
go with Mr. and Mrs. O'Beirne. He is the brother of the late 
Bishop of Meath ; she is the daughter of an Irish baronet, and the 
niece of Lord Castle Coste. Mrs. Toussard is waiting there for 
me. She has been travelling all summer with the Countess Hoc- 
quayd. She writes in great spirits, and I think she will never re- 
turn to America. She is in the best society in France, and if her 
mone>y hold out, she will spend the rest of her days there. 

The English consul and family at Havre have been very atten- 
tive to me. Mr. Brown has recovered his health, I hear. Mrs. 
Brown is enchanted with Europe, and spends a great deal of 
money. 

Mrs. Crrton deserves the unexpected good fortune which has now 
occurred to her family, by the sacrifices she has made to support 
them abroad. I can only say that if Jerome were a girl, and had 
made such a match, I am convinced that I should have died with. 

joy- 
Edward spent some days with me at Havre. He writes to me 
that he was on the point of embarking for New York. He takes 
out a book which I have not been able to obtain at Havre, and 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1^1 

which Sir Frederick Fourke, a Gentleman of the Bedchamber of 
the King of England, tells me is a perfectly true account of man- 
ners and persons. It is the memoirs of Mrs. Harriet Wilson. 

The Marquis Lafayette came to see me at Havre, and desired 
me to write you an account of his arrival, and to remember him 
most particularly to you. He has invited me to visit him at La 
Grange. He was very civil to me. 

Adieu, my dear sir, 

Yours affectionately, 

E. Patterson. 

Mrs. Dallas, widow of the person who wrote Lord Byron's me- 
moirs, lives at Havre. She has lost the use of her limbs, and never 
gets out of her bed.* She sent to request me to go to her, which 
I did, and spent an hour with her. 

She is said to be a woman of genius. I hear that William For- 
man died with a bilious fever. I hope that providence will let me 
die before my son. I pity poor Aunt Forman ; it is enough to kill 
her. I hope she inherits the farm from him. 

There is an English society at Havre. Edward can tell you how 
gayly I spend my time. He was very much pleased in Europe. 

Mr. and Mrs. Mansfield were here some days ; he seems out of 
spirits. I hope Mrs. Hughes has become more reconciled to her 
return to America than she seemed to be at the prospect of going 
when here. 

The second week in November of this year Madame 
Bonaparte again visited Paris, where she spent the fol- 



* The Mrs. Dallas here alluded to was the widow of the gentleman who 
persuaded Byron to publish the first two cantos of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, 
upon his return from the East, instead of some verses in imitation of Horace, 
which the poet thought superior. 

When Childe Harold appeared, and Byron "woke up one morning and 
found himself famous," refusing to " rack his brains for lucre,'' as he had ac- 
cused Scott of doing, he gave the copyright of the work to Mr. Dallas, who 
had superintended its publication. 



172 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

lowing winter, and from that city she wrote to Lady 
Morgan the following letter, full of gossip. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO LADY MORGAN. 

Paris, November 28, 1825. 

My Dear Lady Morgan — Mrs. Evans gave me your welcome 
letter ; I cannot express to you how delighted I was at hearing 
that you had not forgotten me. I passed only a few months in 
Italy, where I saw the most beautiful woman in the world, who 
since died in her husband's palace at Florence, surrounded by 
friends, and conjugally regretted by Prince Borghese ! He buried 
her in the handsomest chapel in Europe. She left a legacy to my 
son of twenty thousand francs. Voila en peu de mots ce que fat a 
dire de la Princesse Pauline. I have been, pour mes peches, a great 
deal in Geneva — that centre of prudery, heartlessness, and illib- 
eral feelings. I left it with pleasure, and hope that I shall never 
return to it. I have paid a short visit to America. " Aux cceurs 
biens nes la patrie est chere" which does not mean that one should, 
not prefer the sejour of Paris to that of the dullest place on earth. 

Lafayette was adored, caressed, and substantially rewarded. I 
saw him in Baltimore, and talked to him of you, whom he loves 
and admires, malgre' le temps et V absence ; Miss Wright was with 
him, or near him, all the time he was in America. She intends 
writing something, of which he is to be the hero. Why did Moore 
destroy Lord Byron's memoirs ? It was a breach of confidence — 
they were intended for publication. 

You are very kind in inquiring after my father and my son. 
The former is living, the latter has grown up handsome — a classi- 
cal profile, and un esprit juste. He is in America. My health is, 
as usual, neither good nor bad : nerves very tormenting ; mind, as 
formerly, discontented, although I flatter myself that I am growing 
more patient of injustice and egotism. 

What do you say of De Genlis ? . . . . One of her truisms 
is that Madame de Villette was convinced of the truth of the Chris- 
tian religion— a conviction that our poor dear friend certainly im- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 73 

parted to none of those who lived with her. Genlis has pleased no 
one by the publication of this work of imagination — the drippings 

and last squeezings of her brain 

Poor Denon is dead; Madame D'Houchin is, I hear, dreadfully 
grieved at her deplorable veuvage du cceur. Nothing can, I think, 
console for the loss of a person whom one has loved and been 
loved by. Madame Capodoce is here ; she looks dreadfully ill. 
Madame Suard is still living, and as foolish as ever. Do you know 
a dull writer called Julien, who publishes a periodical paper ? I 
thank Sir Charles for his kisses, which I reciprocate at the same 
time ; but I send my love to him. I hope the gloves fitted — wed- 
ding* gloves, sent by the Lord- Lieutenant of the Marchioness of 
Wellesley ! ! ! Was the Duke, Great Bolingbroke, at the wedding ? 
Do contrive to get a letter to me by une occasio?i particuliire. I 
do not like the idea of the police, your readers, receiving what was 
intended for me. Pray let me know what you are doing, etc., etc., 
etc. Be assured I shall not slip through your fingers through my 
negligence. Adieu. 

Believe me, 

Ever most affectionately yours, 

E. Patterson. 



P. S. — Warden is as usual ; he never leaves the Faubourg St. 
Germain. I have no doubt he has un senti?nent — nothing else 
could keep any one there. What do you think of Miss Harriet 
Wilson's life, written by herself? Every one reads it. She is 
living in Paris, which seems to be the favorite residence of all 
naughty English women. Miss Harriet is married to a very hand- 
some man, who was willing to make an honest woman of her. I 
have fifty scandalous things to tell you ; but I write in haste that I 
may send my letter to England by a friend. I have been in Paris 
only a few days ; I have seen no one. All the people whom I 
know are dead or absent. 



"Madame Bonaparte refers to the marriage of her sister-in-law, noticed 
above. 



1 74 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

It is remarkable how constantly Madame Bonaparte 
kept in view the interests of her son. She was advised 
that it would be a great advantage for him at this time 
to visit his father and the rest of the family in Italy , 
hoping that he would make so good an impression upon 
them that they would mention him in their wills ; also 
that it would be the means of introducing him into the 
first society of Europe, which might enable him to form 
an advantageous matrimonial alliance. 

Madame Bonaparte gives a lively description of the 
Marquis of Wellesley — his debts, difficulties, and infirm- 
ities ; but, notwithstanding these drawbacks, she thinks 
Mrs. Caton is to be congratulated upon marrying her 
daughter to a man of his rank. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WM. PATTERSON. 

Paris, 23 January, 1826. 

Dear Sir — I have been advised by several persons in Europe 
to have Bo sent out by way of Leghorn, to visit his father and the 
rest of the family ; but if it is done, it must be kept a secret from 
all of his father's relations in America, as there is great jealousy 
about the old lady's money. The cardinal* has sold" his hotel in 
Paris for five hundred thousand dollars. The sum is immense, 
but, as his establishment took up a whole square in one of the best 
streets in Paris, it has been considered a fair price. 

I confess that I am not at all of opinion that expectations of fu- 
ture wealth are worth running after, but it is certain that they have 
it in their power to leave legacies, and that I shall be much blamed 
if I do not put the boy in the way of getting mentioned in their 
wills. It has been stated to me, too, that he ought to be intro- 

*Fesch. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 17; 

duced by them into the best society in Europe, and that with his ap- 
pearance there is a chance of his doing something in the way of an 
establishment. In short, it is the opinion of every one that I should 
neglect his interest very much if I do not allow him to go to Rome 
to, pass a few months. I should not think of letting him stay lon- 
ger, and as it would be useless for me to be there now that he is 
old enough to take care of himself, and as I have no wish to go to 
Rome again, I would take the opportunity of going with Mrs. 
Toussard to Florence to pass next winter. We should be only five 
days' journey from Rome, and I should hear from him every week, 
I should not like to be farther from him, and Mrs. Toussard says 
she would be quite delighted to go with me. The fact is, that 
nothing would be lost by his going to visit his family ; if nothing 
else should be gained, it will give him a consequence to be seen 
with them, and enable him to make acquaintance with the first 
people in Europe. I should pass too for a very unfeeling parent if 
I do not let him see his father. I shall certainly be the loser in 
point of expense by his going, as I shall have everything to pay ; 
but, having brought him into the world, it is of course my duty to 
spend money upon him when his interest requires it, and to try to 
render his life as agreeable as I can. If he could find a vessel from 
some port in the United States, for Leghorn, I should like to obtain 
a letter of credit upon a banker there for twelve hundred dollars, 
that he may be. at no loss for money on his arrival, hoping that he 
would have sufficient prudence to spend only what would be abso- 
lutely necessary for his comfort. I think, too, that it would be a 
great advantage to his manners if he could spend a few months 
with his relations, and, at all events, he would form acquaintances 
who may be useful to him at a future period. The month of May or 
June would be the best time for him to sail, and I should take him 
to America the year after. I suppose you have all heard of Mary's 
great good fortune in marrying the Marquis of Wellesley. He is 
sixty-six years old — so much in debt that the plate on his table is 
hired ; had his carriage once seized in the streets of Dublin, and 
has great part of his salary mortgaged; but, with all these drawbacks 
to perfect happiness, he is considered a very great match, because 
he is a man of rank. She certainly has had great luck, and Mrs. 
Caton may, with truth, congratulate herself upon the judgment 



176 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

and patience she displayed in sending her daughters to Europe, 
and in keeping them abroad until something advantageous offered. 
The marquis is very infirm, but at his death, she will of course ob- 
tain a pension as a poor peeress, and her mother can support her il 
she does not, which of course she will be too happy to do, now that 
they are connected so highly. I wish something would offer for 
my son : every one can marry their children greatly except myself. 
Mr. Astor has at length succeeded in marrying his daughter very 
well. She is married to a Mr. Rumph, a German who represents 
all the free German towns. He has no fortune, but is well con- 
nected, and has it in his power to introduce her into the best com- 
pany. Astor is delighted with the match. He and Mr. Reid man- 
aged to make it : and Reid tells me he assisted to draw and sign 
the marriage articles, by which Astor settled three hundred thou- 
sand dollars on her for the present. Rumph is a handsome man 
of thirty-five, and we all think she has been very fortunate in get- 
ting him, as she has no beauty. They are to establish themselves 
in Paris. I should never have believed that Astor had given three 
hundred thousand dollars to secure the match, if Mr. Reid had not 
been one of the witnesses. 

Yours affectionately, 

E. P. 

In the next letter Madame Bonaparte again speaks of 
her son's visit to Italy, before settling down permanently 
in Baltimore. She seemed to think that association 
with the Bonapartes would polish his manners and be 
an advantage in a thousand ways. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, 21 February, 1826. 

DEAR Sir — I think that it is perhaps a duty to let Jerome 
know his father, that he may never reproach himself at any future 
period, at all events. I should not like to take upon myself the 
responsibility of refusing my consent to such a proceeding, being 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 177 

desirous to fulfil to the extent of my power my duties as a parent. 
He would have an opportunity of seeing the world, of being intro- 
duced to the best company and improving himself in every way, 
which is desirable before commencing the study of the law. I 
should think, too, that it would be agreeable for himself to pass a 
year in Europe under their protection, before settling down in Bal- 
timore. One cannot tell what may be the future career of a young 
person, and I confess that I should like his manners to receive that 
polish which can only be acquired by living with strangers and 
subjecting one's self to the restraints imposed by society and an 
early intercourse with the world. Having always had his interest 
and happiness in view, it has been my constant endeavor through 
life to procure him every possible advantage ; and although it costs 
me much uneasiness in thinking of the risks of a sea-voyage for 
him, as well as a longer separation from myself, I prefer making 
this last sacrifice to the prospect of advantage to him. Madame 
de Toussard is anxious to visit Italy, and the Countess Hocquard 
wishes also to spend next winter there, which would afford me an 
occasion of going as far as Florence, to be near my son. I should 
return with him in the summer of 1827, and then we should fix 
ourselves in Baltimore. I do not think Mrs. Toussard will ever re- 
turn to America ; her life is passed delightfully here. I beg you 
to mention this plan for Jerome to no one. If you could give him 
a letter of credit on a banker in Leghorn for twelve hundred dol- 
lars, I should commission Miss Spear to pay you. If there should 
be a vessel to Gibraltar — there are constant opportunities from 
that place to Leghorn — it would be preferable to go direct from 
New York or Boston to Leghorn ; however, I do not wish any of 
the family at Philadelphia to know anything on the subject, as they 
are anxious to keep every one from their mother to whom she 
may be likely to leave anything. 

I remain, my dear sir, 

Very affectionately yours, 

E.P. 

While Madame Bonaparte was thus representing to 
her father the many advantages that her son would de- 
8* 



178 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

rive from a visit to Europe, the King of Westphalia, 
who had heard of the proposed visit, wrote to his son, 
expressing some apprehension that his presence in 
Rome might be misunderstood at the courts of Wurtem- 
berg and Russia, as it might be construed into invalida- 
ting the marriage of their relative, the Princess Cathe- 
rine. This letter reached Jerome after he had embarked. 
Had he postponed his voyage until he was made ac- 
quainted with the confidences and anxieties of his father, 
he would probably have abandoned the visit. 



PRINCE JEROME TO JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

Rome, le 6 Mars, 1826. 

Mon CHER Enfant — J'ai re$u ta lettre du 26 novembre. Tu 
penses bien que depuis longtemps son contenu m'occupe d'une 
manure serieuse j mais ma position est telleinent compliquee par 
rapport a la reine etaux princes nos en/ants, que je ne sais comment 
les mettre en Squilibre avec ta position particuliere, puisque, quand 
meme ma femme, dont le coeur et genereuxest si bien connu, con- 
sentirait a beaucoup de choses par rapport a toi, nous trouverions 
les cours de Wurtemberg et de Russie qui protesteraient contre toute 
demarche qui aurait fair dinvalider le mariage de leur.princesse. 

A present, mon cher enfant, tu es un homme ; il faut done 
qu'enfiny> tache de te mettre dans une position naturelle sans pre- 
judicier en rien a Vetat de la reine et des princes nos enfants. 

J'approuve et desire que tu fasses tes dispositions pour arriver a 
Livourne dans le courant du mois d'octobre : tu trouveras chez le 
consul americain une lettre pour toi. Elle te dira si tu dois m'at- 
tendre a Livourne ou bien oil tu dois venir me trouver. 

Je parte souvent de toi avec ma mire, et e'est apres m'etre bien 
consults avec elle que je te fais cette reponse, qui, comme tu le 
penses bien, est a la connaissance de mon excellente femme. Tu 
trouveras ci-joint copie d'une lettre que m'a ecrite ta mere, ainsi 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1/9 

que de ma reponse. Cela te mettra au courant de cette affaire ; 
d'ailleurs, je pense que tu prendras toi-meme ton argent ici, si tu 
ne Tas deja recu de ton oncle. 

Ton affectionne" et bon pere, 

Signe : Jerome. 

TRANSLATION. 

Rome, March 6, 1826. 

My Dear Child — I have received your letter of Nov. 26. You 
are right in thinking its contents have long occupied my serious 
attention ; but my position is so complicated on account of the 
queen and the princes, our children, that I do not know how to 
reconcile their rights with your peculiar position ; for, although 
my wife, whose noble and generous heart is so well known, would 
consent to many things on your account, we might find that the 
courts of Wurtemberg and Russia would protest against any act 
which would have the appearance of invalidating the marriage of 
their princess. 

My dear child, you are now a man, and I desire to place you in 
a natural position, without, however, prejudicing in any way the 
condition of the queen and the princes, our children. 

I approve and desire that you should make your arrangements 
so as to arrive at Leghorn during next October. You will find at 
the American consul's a letter, which will inform you whether you 
are to wait for me at Leghorn, or where you are to go to find me. 

I often speak of you to my mother, and it is after consulting 
with her that I have written this letter, which, as you may imagine, 
is known also to my excellent wife. 

You will find herewith a copy of a letter written to me by your 
mother, and also my answer.* That will inform you of the state 
of affairs. I think you can take your money here, if you have not 
already received it of your uncle. 

Your affectionate father, 

Jerome. 

* These letters are not forthcoming. 



180 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

When Prince Jerome heard of the expected arrival of 
his son, he again wrote to him that he did not wish to 
expose him to being placed in a false position, and told 
him that he would be at the Chateau of Lanciano, near 
Camerino, at the end of September, and would expect 
him there about the first of October. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. l8l 



CHAPTER XII. 

Jerome joins his Mother in Europe. — They visit Lausanne, Geneva, and the 
Baths of Aix in Savoy. — Letter from Aix. — " Poor People have no 
Friends." — Looking after Legacies for Jerome. — Cardinal Fesch.— 
Young Napoleon. — " Marrying for Idleness " and " Bringing Beggars into 
the World." — Money covers more Faults than Charity. — Letter from 
Madame Mere to Jerome. — Louis Bonaparte. — Madame Bonaparte's un- 
favorable Opinion of her Husband's Family. — Princess Charlotte. — Jo- 
seph's Fortune. — Jerome meets his Father. — Affectionate Reception from 
all the Family. — Letters from Florence. — 1826. 

MADAME Bonaparte remained in Paris until early 
in the summer of 1826, when she paid a visit of several 
weeks to Switzerland. Before her departure from Paris 
she wrote a brief letter to her father, containing several 
interesting items of news. The Mrs. Brown mentioned 
was the wife of the American Minister to France, and 
Mr. Hughes was the Minister to Sweden. It will be 
seen that Madame Bonaparte continues her deep inter- 
est in the matrimonial affairs of Joseph's daughter. The 
match alluded to did actually take place within a few 
months after this letter was written. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, 21st of May, 1826. 
Dear Sir — I write a few lines in haste for the packet of the 
25th, having put off my letters until I have not left myself time to 
write long letters. I wrote to you that I thought it would be better 



1 82 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

for Bo to pay his family a visit, as the year after his leaving college 
could be spent to advantage in Europe, and then I could returr* 
with him to America for him to read law. I have been advised by 
every one to let him do so, and I feel persuaded that it will be an 
advantage for his grandmother to see him again, as well as a great 
improvement in every way. Mde. Toussard and myself intend 
going on to Florence in the autumn. She talks of returning to 
America with me in the summer of 1827; but I do not believe 
that she will ever leave Europe again. Mrs. Brown is very atten- 
tive to us and lives in great style. Mde. Reubel* has just been to 
see me. She has lost her beauty and looks like an old woman. 
The cows you gave the Marquis Lafayette are very well. He de- 
sires to be particularly remembered to you. Only one of the cows 
died. They get on finely. I hear that Hughes is expected soon. 
James Donnell seems a prudent, nice young man. I hope that Bo 
will meet with no accident ; but I do not wish his uncle in Phila- 
delphia to know anything about his departure. The match between 
his daughter and the young man she was sent to Europe to marry 
has not taken place, nor do I think it likely that it will. Adieu, 
my dear sir, 

Affectionately yours, 

E. P. 

In accordance with his mother's wishes, Jerome sailed 
for Europe in the month of May, 1826, on the ship 
William Penn, from Philadelphia, and after a " very- 
mild and favorable passage," arrived at Rotterdam on 
the fifteenth of June. The day after landing he wrote 
to his grandfather, that he had found two letters from 
his mother awaiting him, telling him to meet her at 
Lausanne. He also informed Mr. Patterson that his 
mother had succeeded in securing a legacy of twenty 
thousand francs, left to him by the Princess Borghese. 

* Formerly Miss Pascault, of Baltimore, who married Gen. Reubel about 
the same time that Jerome Bonaparte married Miss Patterson. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 83 

It appears, from this letter, that Gilbert Stuart, who 
made studies for a portrait of the young bride of 
Jerome Bonaparte in 1804, which he never finished, had 
also undertaken to paint the portrait of the young 
Jerome ; but, in his usual fashion, he finished the head 
and then stopped. The letter says : " I called upon him 
frequently for six months before I left Boston, to hurry 
him, but without success. Perhaps now that I am away 
he may be prevailed upon to finish it at once. When I 
left Boston I was on excellent terms with Stuart ; but 
he is so capricious that he may possibly be offended at 
my having left the country without having given him 
any notice of it." 

Toward the end of June, Jerome joined his mother 
in Switzerland. They remained a week at Lausanne, 
and then paid a brief visit to Geneva, after which they 
proceeded to the baths of Aix, near Chambe>y in 
Savoy. From Aix Jerome wrote a letter to his grand- 
father, describing " the hot mineral springs, which cure 
the rheumatism and other complaints ; the place itself is 
small, but the environs are pretty. . . . Mr. Brown, 
the American Minister to France, has been cured of the 
rheumatism by the waters of Aix." 

In this letter Jerome said he had not heard from 
Rome since his departure from America. He supposed 
they had not heard there of his arrival in Europe. He 
says : " I shall write to my father from Florence, where 
mamma says she will spend the winter, and where I 
shall spend a fortnight before going to Rome, expecting 
to arrive there about the beginning of October, and to 



1 84 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

leave it on the first of April, 1827. So that I shall 
probably return to America about the middle of next 
summer. . . 

" I have seen a great many things since my departure 
from home, but the more I see, the more firmly I am 
persuaded of the superiority of my own country, and 
the more I desire to return to it and remain in it. This 
journey was absolutely necessary for me, on many ac- 
counts, but when it is over I shall settle myself quietly 
in America. 

" .... I hear that Mr. Galatin has accepted the 
mission to England ; I suppose that he will not remain 
more than two years there, so that we will have him for 
a townsman yet, which will be a great thing for the 
town of Baltimore, as he is undoubtedly a man of very 
great talent. 

Madame Bonaparte wrote to her father from Aix, 
under the date of June 19th, a letter full of her peculiar 
worldly wisdom. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO MR. PATTERSON. 

Aix in Savoy, 19th July, 1826. 

Dear Sir — Jerome arrived safely at Rotterdam, and thence 
joined me at Lausanne. We went from that place to Geneva, 
where we passed a short time and came on to this place, which is on 
the road to Florence. I got the legacy paid, but had some trouble 
about it, and then was obliged to pay a tax to the government, etc. 
I declared that, if it was not at once given to me, I should appear 
there and claim it legally ; so, after letter upon letter, and consulta- 
tion upon consultation with bankers, I succeeded and have got it 
safe, but curtailed and maimed. When there is question of money 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 85 

I seldom allow myself to be made a dupe of, knowing that when 
people are poor they have neither friends nor admirers ; therefore I 
am positive in preserving my rights. I know that I am not the 
best manager in the world, but it is not owing to any negligence or 
credulity on my part. I have placed the money at four per cent, 
in the hands of a banker at Paris, until I can make some arrange- 
ment, and at all events I can spend it, and account to Jerome for it 
out of my property in America, which will save the trouble of any 
remittances from America. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brown are here. They have always been very 
attentive to me. I am sorry that they are about returning to Paris. 
I shall pass the winter at Florence and let Jerome go on to Rome. 
I hear that his grandmother is much out of health, so it is very 
fortunate that he came out. The old lady is not near so rich as 
people think, and she means, very properly, to leave great part of 
her fortune to the emperor's son, because she says his father gave 
her all she has. I believe that she has a great sense of justice. 
Her favorite child is Prince Jerome ; but she knows that he cannot 
take care of money, and at all events she seems to think that her 
own children have less right to her money than the little Napoleon 
whom she scarcely knows. I hope she will leave Bo a legacy, be- 
cause it is always a compliment to be remembered in people's 
wills, and a legacy here and there adds to one's means. The Car- 
dinal is rich, and as he hates most of his nephews and nieces, I hope 
he will leave Bo a trifle ; but he may live a long time, being not 
above sixty; at all events, there will be no harm done in jogging his 
memory by the sight of the boy. Above all, it will improve his 
mind and manners to travel, and I consider that of equal value 
with legacies — indeed, of much greater. I am happy to find that he 
seems to know the value of order and economy, and that he 
keeps a regular account of his expenses, and that he really is much 
less foolish and giddy than young people generally are. He reads 
a good deal now, which will keep him out of mischief ; and, above 
all, I hope he will not marry as they do in America, from idleness. 
The young people there have no idea of the misery they entail on 
themselves by early and inconsiderate marriages. I think Mr. 
Oliver ought to be thankful to Providence that Charles contents 
himself with a single life. I am sure that I would prefer paying 



1 86 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Jerome's expenses in Siberia or Africa rather than have him mar- 
ried to some idiot and bringing beggars into the world every year, 
which is what we see every day. A man should never marry un- 
less he can give a fortune to each of his children, unless, indeed, he 
is a mechanic, because then his posterity are not obliged to be 
ladies and gentlemen. I am in hopes that this trip will confirm 
him in the good principles I have always endeavored to inspire 
him with on this subject, and that if he cannot get a wife to sup- 
port him, he will at least not get one for me to provide for. 

I am glad to hear that Aunt Forman has turned landed proprie- 
tor, and that her turn has at last come to play the great person. 
I daresay she will now be thought more highly of than formerly. 
There is nothing like prosperity to cover faults, and it may be said 
that money covers more than charity. 

Yours affectionately, 

E. P. 

Jerome did not neglect to announce to his grandmother 
that he should soon have the happiness of thanking her 
in person for her affectionate kindness to him ; and to his 
letter she sent the following answer : 

" Rome, 26 septembre, 1826. 

" MON CHER FILS — Je recois aujourd'hui votre lettre du 24 sep- 
tembre. J'ai appris avec plaisir que vous jouissez d'une bonne 
sante, et je vous remercie des bonnes nouvelles que vous me don- 
nez de celle de Joseph et de sa famille. Votre ftere est ici, il doit 
sous peu de jours alter a Sienne, ou il vous verra ; je vous engage 
a suivre ses ifitentions, elles sont cojiformes a ma manicre de voir 
et d 1 envisager votre position. Le Cardinal est absent depuis un. 
mois, je ne manquerai pas de m'acquitter de votre commission 
pour lui aussitot que je le verrai. 

" Adieu, mon cherjils, je vous embrasse tendrement et vous prie 
de croire a mon constant attachement. 

" Votre bien affectionne - grand'mere, 

" Signe : MADAME." 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 87 



TRANSLATION. 

Rome, 26 September, 1826. 

My dear Son — I received to-day your letter of the 24th of Sep- 
tember. I am pleased to hear that you are in good health, and I 
thank you for the good news which you give me as to that of Joseph 
and his family. Your father is here, but he will leave in a few 
days for Sienna, where he will see you. I request you to follow 
his directions — they agree with my view of your position. The 
Cardinal has been absent for a month ; I will not fail to give him 
your message as soon as I see him. 

Adieu, my dear son. I embrace you tenderly and assure you of 
my constant attachment. 

Your very affectionate grandmother, 

Madame. 

In Florence Jerome met his Uncle Louis Bonaparte, 
who was then living in that city ; thence he proceeded, 
on the 25th of September, to join his father at the Chateau 
ofLanciano. 

In her next letter Madame Bonaparte gives her father 
a short sketch of her movements after leaving Aix ; and 
in announcing the marriage of the Princess Charlotte 
shows the great disappointment she felt that her own 
son did not succeed in marrying that young lady. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, October 6, 1826. 

Dear Sir — We arrived here near three weeks since, after hav- 
ing spent some time at Aix, a watering-place in Savoy. We spent 
three days at Genoa, where we experienced many attentions from 
the Marquis di Ferrari, the richest nobleman in the place. I had 



1 88 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

been particularly intimate with his daughter, the Marchioness di 
Savoli, whom I met at Aix, and had indeed known her father there. 
Bo's cousin Charlotte we found married to her other cousin, who, 
by all accounts, was forced by her perseverance into the match. 
The young man, they say, showed no small reluctance to marry 
this hideous little creature, and I find that her marriage portion, 
which they promised to be seven hundred thousand dollars, has 
not been paid yet ; and I think it probable it never will. They 
are living with his father near Florence, and she is said to be a 
vixen. I had taken the precaution at Aix to charge a friend of 
mine, of the house of Rothschild, to inquire most minutely on his 
return to Paris into the state of her father's fortune, as I knew that 
if she could not get the present husband her intention was to take 
Bo ; and I was determined that she should not get him without 
paying two hundred thousand dollars ready money. Promises and 
expectations would not have answered my purposes. I found her 
married, however, on my arrival. My friend wrote to me that, 
after the most minute and careful inquiry, and that, too, from the 
most authentic source, he had discovered that her father's fortune 
was much overrated ; that he has a country establishment, it is 
true, in France, which is worth two millions of francs (near four 
hundred thousand dollars), but that to the value of eight hundred 
thousand francs of it was mortgaged already to pay the marriage 
portion of his eldest girl now in America. He has, besides, an es- 
tate in Switzerland, which is estimated at one hundred thousand 
dollars, but no purchaser can be found to take either of them off 
his hands. He has nothing in Europe except these two estates. 
He is always writing to his wife to sell and remit him money to 
live ; and although he has no generosity, he is a bad manager in 
every way and squanders immense sums. His wife is an econo- 
mist, but the woman must live ; and although not extravagant, she 
she does not spend less than seven thousand dollars annually. 
Her daughters are now both married ; the marriage portion of the 
eldest was paid into the hands of the husband's father, who had 
given them as security a mortgage on property which they since 
find was already mortgaged. He has therefore cheated them out 
of every farthing, and will not even, or indeed cannot, pay even the 
interest. Neither the girl nor her husband, therefore, has e.ny way 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 1 89 

of living except upon her father. Miss Charlotte has shown no little 
sense in getting herself married, and in marrying, too, a man who 
will eventually be very well off. She kept Bo as a resource if she 
could not find a richer husband ; but I can tell her she would have 
found me rather too sharp to have let him run his head into the 
noose in the way her present spouse has done, without either 
ready money or security for the payment in any way. The indi- 
viduals of this singular family are always cheating each other, and 
do not verify the proverb of setting a rogue to catch a rogue. I 
am not sorry that she is married at last, as I see her want of for- 
tune would have been an insuperable objection to her marrying 
Bo. Her husband's father did not want the match, although, like 
the rest of his family, he had not sufficient judgment to sift out the 
truth of her not being as rich as was supposed. She has shown 
cunning and cleverness much beyond her years, and is said to 
have great talents. Bo is now with his father, who has contrived 
to get out of his aged parent almost her whole fortune. It is said 
that he has spent almost everything she had since his residence 
near her ; that she has given him even her jewels, and that, al- 
though avaricious to all the rest of her family, she refuses him 
nothing. Her children are all, naturally, quite furious at the in- 
justice she has shown in giving to the most worthless of the race 
what ought to have been equally divided between them. I could 
never have believed that a woman of her judgment could have al- 
lowed herself to be duped out of her savings by a spendthrift son ; 
but they tell me that she is now in her dotage, and that she always 
preferred him (although the very worst) to all her posterity. The 
others have quarrelled with him on account of this abominable con- 
duct in stripping his mother of what she had saved. Her mind 
must have failed singularly since I saw her, and she cannot be 
more than eighty now, if she is that. There is, I fear, little chance 
of poor Bo getting anything, although she evidently liked him bet- 
ter than any of her grandchildren. After her being duped out of 
her money, nothing can ever astonish me. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Yours affectionately, 

E. P. 



190 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

I hope Mr. Monk looks over Miss Spear's book every three 
months. 

Pray give my love to Miss Spear, and beg her to be cautious 
how she invests. I will run no risks of any kind, and prefer a 
moderate interest upon good security, such as hypothecated bank 
stock of the United States. I have no confidence in road stock, 
water stock, fire insurance, cotton manufactories, or State banks. 
The United States Government loans are the only secure invest- 
ment for money, and it is better to lend upon the security of hypo- 
thecated stock (taking care to see that it has not been mortgaged 
before) than to invest in trumpery concerns such as I have enu- 
merated. 

People cannot be too cautious in money transactions, for, when 
they lose their fortune, they lose their friends and their considera- 
tion in the world. 

I brought letters of introduction to the Austrian ambassadress 
at Florence, and have been received at the Swedish ambassador's. 

Jerome's second visit to Italy did not give rise to any 
of the difficulties which his father had anticipated. At 
Rome, at Florence, and at Sienna, he found again affec- 
tion, kindness, and attention from his grandmother, 
uncles, aunts, and cousins ; and by each of them he was 
always treated as the eldest son of Prince Jerome. The 
young children of the Princess Catharine of Wiirtemberg 
became acquainted with their brother. He also knew 
well Louis Napoleon, the son of Queen Hortense. 

In a letter dated Florence, November 28, 1826, Ma- 
dame Bonaparte again takes up the subject of Jerome's 
marriage, and says he can only marry a woman of for- 
tune ; that she has no idea of burdening herself with a 
daughter-in-law and grandchildren. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 191 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, November 28, 1826. 

Dear Sir — Bo is with his father, where he has been for the last 
two months. He is going to Rome. His cousin was married be- 
fore our arrival here. Her fortune has not been paid, and it is 
likely to be much less than was expected. Bo cannot marry un- 
less he meets with a woman of fortune, as my taking a daughter- 
in-law to live with me is quite out of the question ; my means are 
much too limited for my own wants already, and of course I am 
not such a fool as to burden myself with either daughter-in-law or 
grandchildren. I have done my duty by my own posterity, and 
have in so doing spared neither my purse nor my pains ; but any 
inconsiderate match on Bo's part can never meet my consent, or 
in any way enter into my views ; therefore, it is to be hoped he 
will have sense enough to live single, and thus save himself the 
embarrassment of a family. He is very much liked and admired 
here, and people seem to think that my judgment in the way I 
have brought him up was not in fault. I hope that on his return 
to America he will not be such a fool as to marry. The. legacy 
left him by his aunt has been paid me, besides six thousand francs 
paid him this year by his father. The grandmother, it is said, has 
given up her whole fortune to P. J., who has contrived to ruin 
her. 

I hope Miss Spear is cautious how she invests. I run risks of 
no sort, not being a fortunate person in any way. I prefer a mod- 
erate interest and good security, to great interest and hazard. Mr. 
Monk can settle my books every three months to prevent confusion. 
My ideas about money have never changed. They are to look for 
security in all investments, and to live within my income. I am 
perhaps not the best manager in the world, but I am not the worst 
either, and I try to give an example of order and economy to my 
son as far as it lies in my power. It cannot be expected that a 
single woman like myself can be as little cheated by servants and 
tradespeople, as women who have husbands to look after their con- 
cerns, or that a capital can be improved by a single woman to the 



192 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

same advantage that it might be by men ; but I .flatter myself that 
my affairs, considering everything, have been as well managed as 
they could have been by any other person in my position. 

It now only remains to avoid all risks, which I hope Miss Spear 
does, as she well knows my cautions, my disposition, and my little 
confidence in chance. I spend my time here very pleasantly. 

I live in the palace of the Count and Countess Arrighetti, from 
whom I hire my rooms, which are very handsome. I keep a car- 
riage by the month, which has become indispensable to the preser- 
vation of my health. The infirmities of age have not spared me, 
which I find in my inability to walk as I did formerly, or to sit up 
late, unless I refresh myself during the day by country air and ex- 
ercise in a carriage. I have invitations for every evening, and my 
whole time is taken up in returning visits. I have every reason to 
be satisfied with the reception I have met with in Florence, which, 
indeed, exceeded by^ a great deal my expectations. Bo too has 
been very well received by his relations, and I am now very glad 
that I consented to his coming. His manners will be improved, 
and he will learn both French and Italian, besides seeing some- 
thing more of the world, which is of great use to every one. His 
spending a few months too with his father will be useful and proper 
in every point of view, and has met with the approbation of every 
one. 

The climate of this place is exactly the reverse of what I had 
expected. It is one of the worst in the world. It has rained 
almost every day since my arrival. It is sometimes very cold, 
always when it does not rain, and in summer the heat is intense. 
It is quite as bad as that of America, if not worse ; and I question 
whether people here do not die as early as they do with us. Bo 
has not improved by growing fat, and I hope to hear that he is 
growing thinner. 

I remain, my dear sir, 

Affectionately yours, 

E. P. 

I wrote to you before that Mary had made a great match in 
point of rank, although her husband has not a farthing, and is over 
head and ears in debt. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 193 

In the two following letters Madame Bonaparte alludes 
to Jerome's visit to his father in Rome. 

Her father having informed her of the marriage of her 
brother William, she says she is sorry to hear of the 
irreparable folly he has committed ; that the highest 
degree of virtue is not to increase the number of un- 
happy beings in the world ; that she has no desire to see 
her son married, or to have a family. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, 18 December, 1826. 

Dear Sir — I send you by this occasion a letter from Bo. He 
is with his father, and has been there for the last three months. 
They are now at Rome. I think, everything considered, that it 
will perhaps be better for us to pass another year in Italy. Bo 
would perfect himself in French and Italian, see something more 
of the world, and form his manners. He is just at the age when 
people are improved by society, and I want to give him enough of 
Europe to prevent his desiring to leave me in America and com- 
ing off again. I have, however, not made up my mind on the sub- 
ject yet, but when he returns — and I expect him in the spring — I 
shall decide upon what we ought to do. I like Florence more 
than any place I ever saw, and the climate, although as bad as it 
can be, agrees perfectly with my health. I never felt as well in 
Paris as I do here. 

I have a great deal of anxiety about my property in America, 
not knowing what can be done with the money the government are 
about paying, as well as that I lent Colt. I hope Miss Spear is 
cautious, as I will not risk in any way, being convinced that I am 
not a fortunate person. Mr. Monk will settle the books for her 
every three months. I really wish my money could be placed in 
some safe way to bring me vsxfive per cent, but I prefer four to 
9 



194 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

running any risks. I have not yet said a. word to Bo about my wish 
that we should spend another year in Italy. 

I remain, my dear sir, 

Affectionately yours, 

E. P. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, 20 December, 1826. 

Dear Sir — I sent you yesterday, by way of Havre, a letter 
from Bo, and one from myself. He has been for some time with 
his father, and they are now at Rome. I have good reason to be- 
lieve that his father is ruined, and that his mother has given him 
nearly all her fortune ; at least, I have heard so in Florence. Bo, 
of course, has written me nothing on the subject, and probably 
knows nothing about it. His cousin was married before our ar- 
rival. She will not be as rich as was supposed, and I have heard 
that her father in America has nearly spent all his fortune. I be- 
lieve they are all the worst managers in the world. I am very un- 
easy about my property in America. I see no safe way of invest- 
ing the money I had lent to Colt, or that which the government 
has probably paid me by this time. There is nothing safe except 
government stock. Miss Spear never writes me about my affairs. 
I should like to spend another year in Italy, both on my own and 
Bo's account, but as yet I have not made up my mind on the sub- 
ject, and shall decide when he comes here, which will be in the 
spring. I have a great many invitations here. I am sorry to hear 
of the irreparable folly which William has committed. Marrying 
is almost a crime, in my eyes, because I am persuaded that the 
highest degree of virtue is to abstain from augmenting the number 
of unhappy beings. If people reflected, they would never marry, 
because they entail misery upon themselves when they bring chil- 
dren into the world. I have no desire to see my son married, and 
I hope he will never have any family. There are few or no Amer- 
icans here. The climate is detestable, at least it rains every day. 
My health never was better, however. Mrs. Toussard remains in 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 195 

Paris to look after her indemnity to be paid the former proprietors 
of St. Domingo. She lives in a gay boarding-house. The Coun- 
tess Hocquard, her friend, is now here, and will pass the winter in 
Italy. 

I remain, my dear sir, 

Affectionately yours, 

E. P. 

Under the date of Rome, December n, 1826, Jerome 
writes to his grandfather : " I have now been for two 
months with my father in the country, and arrived in 
Rome yesterday. . . . From my father I have had 
the most cordial reception, and I am treated with all 
possible kindness and affection. I have only seen my 
grandmother since my arrival in Rome. She is but lit- 
tle changed during the five years which have elapsed 
since I saw her, and treats me with the same affection 
and kindness as before. I have not seen mamma for two 
months ; she is still at Florence. I do not expect to see 
her before the spring. For the last two months, which 
I have passed in the country with my father and his 
family, 1 have seen no one whom I had ever seen be- 
fore, and heard nothing. Indeed, until your letter ar- 
rived, I was at a loss to know what had happened in 
America since I left it. During this winter I shall have 
but little leisure for serious study, but will make the 
most of what time I may have." 



196 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Madame Bonaparte in Florence. — Jerome's Patriotism. — The enormous Debts 
of the Bonaparte Family. — The " Pet Son." — Madame Bonaparte at the 
Court of Tuscany. — Honored by the Grand Duke. — Prince Jerome's Ex- 
travagance. — The Carnival at Rome. — Jerome returns to America. — 
Madame Bonaparte " feels age coming on." — The Russian Ambassador 
at Florence. — Death of Prince Demidoff. — His Will. — Charles Bonaparte. 
— A new Plan for Jerome. — The American Duchess. — 1827-8. 

Baron Bonstetten said of Madame Bonaparte : " Sz 
elle nest pas reine de Westpkalie, elle est au moins 
reine des ccenrs." She was certainly queen of hearts 
during her life at Florence, from the autumn of 1826 
until the summer of 1831. She was received every- 
where — at court, at the various ambassadors', at private 
parties, and at public entertainments. Her beauty, 
vivacity and elegant manners made her a welcome guest 
at all social gatherings. She dressed exquisitely, and 
her jewelry was always such as would best set off her 
personal charms. She never criticised the people whom 
she met, and said, if she saw a woman enter a room on 
her head and in the costume of Venus de' Medici, she 
would make no comment, but suppose there was some 
reason for conduct so singular. Her tact and savoir 
faire enabled her to mix with all sorts of people. Living 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 197 

in the midst of the most corrupt European society, she 
preserved an untarnished reputation. 

In associating with the members of the Bonaparte 
family she never descended from her position of perfect 
equality. She always preserved toward them the most 
formal conduct, which made them all respect her. She 
soon discovered the light and frivolous character of the 
Princess Borghese, and was equally quick in discerning 
the superior qualities of Madame Mere. Of her husband, 
after he basely abandoned her, she always spoke with the 
utmost contempt ; and when he offered her the title of 
Princess of Smalcalden, with two hundred thousand francs 
a year, she declined the offer, but accepted from Napo- 
leon a pension of sixty thousand francs. When Jerome 
heard of this, he expressed his displeasure that she had, 
after declining a pension from him, accepted one from 
his brother. To which Madame Bonaparte replied that 
she preferred to be sheltered under the wings of an eagle 
to being suspended from the bill of a goose. In answer 
to his offer of a residence in Westphalia, she said West- 
phalia was a large kingdom, but not quite large enough 
to hold two queens. When Napoleon heard of this witti- 
cism, he was so pleased that he made known to her his 
desire to do something for her. She said : " Tell the 
emperor I am ambitious, and wish to be a duchess." 
Napoleon, it is said, promised to comply, but never 
did so. 

While his mother was enjoying the gayety of Florence, 
Jerome was living with his father in Rome. A letter to 
his grandfather gives a glimpse of his experiences there. 



I98 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTER- 
SON. 

Rome, January 7, 1827. 

Dear Grandfather — .... I have now been three 
months with my father : two in the country, and one month at 
Rome. He continues always very kind to me ; but I see no pros- 
pect of his doing anything for me. I have seen most of my rela- 
tions since I have been here. My grandmother continues the same 
in mind, but her constitution seems entirely worn out ; she has lost 
her appetite entirely and is very feeble, almost always in bed ; her 
memory, however, is unimpaired. She is also very kind to me, 
but I fear will not do anything for me ; indeed, I see but little 
prospect of ever getting anything secured to me from any of my 
father's family, who all seem disposed to spend, and none, except 
my grandmother, to save, and her savings cannot suffice for the 
extravagance of her children. My father is very anxious for me to 
remain with him altogether, but I cannot think for a moment of 
settling myself out of America, to whose government, manners, 
and customs I am too much attached and accustomed, to find 
pleasure in those of Europe, which are so different from my early 
education. It would, however, give me pleasure to remain this 
year with my father, and be of some advantage to me ; but I see 
too many objections even to this postponement of my return to 
America, of which one very important objection is, that with my 
father I am living in a style which I cannot afford, and . to which, 
if I once became accustomed, I should find it very difficult to give 
up ; moreover, I am now of an age in which I must think of doing 
something for myself, and America is the only country where I 
can have an opportunity of getting forward. 

Mamma is still at Florence, where she is very much attended 
to, and amuses herself. 

Believe me ever your most affectionate and most obedient 
grandson, 

Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. I99 

The patriotic sentiments expressed by Jerome are 
very different from Mme. Bonaparte's opinion. She 
deemed it a great misfortune that she was born beneath 
the stars and stripes. She did not agree with Pericles, 
that republics are the nurseries of great men. In fact, 
she was more French than American — more cosmopoli- 
tan than either. In Europe she lived brilliantly ; in 
America she only vegetated. 

We have a second letter from Jerome, giving a deplor- 
able description of the lazy life led by the Bonaparte 
family, and their enormous debts. 

JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTER- 
SON. 

Rome, January 25, 1827. 

My dear Grandfather — I have been here now about six 
weeks, and have seen nearly all the members of my father's family 
who are living. My grandmother is as well as can be expected — 
that is to say, she has no positive illness, but her constitution is 
entirely worn out, and she begins to sink under the weight of her 
misfortunes. She has had no appetite for two years, and is very 
thin and weak — frequently confined to her bed. She is always 
very kind to me. 

I am excessively tired of the way of living at my father's. We 
breakfast between twelve and one o'clock, dine between six and 
seven, and take tea between eleven and twelve at night, so that I 
seldom get to bed before half-past one o'clock in the morning. 
My father does not see much company at present, but during much 
the greater part of the twenty-four hours the whole of his family 
is assembled together in the parlor, principally for the purpose of 
killing time. No one about the house does anything, and I find it 
impossible to read or study ; although my time is not entirely lost 
because I have an opportunity of examining the antiquities of 



200 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Rome, and observing the manners and customs of its inhabitants. 
The expenses of my father are enormous, and so greatly exceed 
his means that he has not the power, even if he had the inclination, 
to do anything for me ; indeed, I fear I have very little, if anything, 
to expect from my father's family. I spend but very little money 
— as little as I possibly can ; but I feel that I am living in a style 
to which I am not entitled, and to which, not being able to support 
it, I do not wish to become accustomed, more especially as it 
would totally unfit me for living in America. 

My cousin Charles is expected here every day. He comes from 
America for the purpose of settling his pecuniary affairs with his 
father, whose fortune is pretty much like my father's — that is to 
say, equal perhaps to one-third of his debts. I shall be very glad 
to see Charles, as he will be able to give me some news of America. 
You have no idea how anxious I am to return home. I was always 
aware that America was the only country for me, but now I am 
still more firmly persuaded of it than ever. 

I will remain in Rome until the month of April, when I shall go 
to Florence to meet my mother, whom I have not seen since last 
October. She will remain at Florence until I go there in the spring, 
when I hope she will make up her mind to accompany me to 
America. I shall embark from Leghorn if I find a good ship there, 
otherwise I will return by way of Holland or England. 

Good-bye, dear grandfather ; please give my love to the family, 
and believe me, 

Ever your most affectionate and obedient grandson, 

Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Madame Bonaparte gives her father an interesting de- 
scription of the brilliant life she was leading in Florence 
during the winter of 1827. She was presented at court, 
and went to the court balls once a week. She takes a 
particular pleasure in informing her father of the gay- 
scenes in which she was mingling — parties, dinners, re- 
ceptions, balls every night. 

When Madame Bonaparte made her first appearance 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 201 

at the court of Tuscany, the Grand Duke gave her a 
special and private presentation, and honored her above 
all the other ladies present. She was so much affected 
by his attention, that she was ready to cry, but remem-' 
bered that she might spoil her lovely satin gown and 
make a scene ; this thought restored her serenity and 
enabled her to go through the ceremony with proper 
dignity. 

Mr. Patterson had expressed disapprobation of her 
partiality for Europe over America. Madame Bona- 
parte's defence of herself is certainly amusing. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, 12th February, 1827. 

Dear Sir — I have this day received yours of the 19th December. 
Those you wrote to Bo have been duly received. He is still with 
his father. I hear that he is a great favorite with the wife of the 
former. I told you that the grandmother had given almost all her 
fortune to her pet son, who has spent it all, as well as his own prop- 
erty, and that his brothers are furious at their mother allowing 
herself to be ruined by a spendthrift child. Her partiality for him 
can only be accounted for by recollecting the eccentricity of hu- 
man nature, which in most cases leads parents to lavish their 
money on the least deserving and least creditable of their pos- 
terity. No one except him could ever extract a farthing out of her 
purse. I believe her means are dreadfully reduced at present by 
her unfortunate preference. I expect Bo in a fortnight. I have 
been presented at court, and go there once a week. The balls 
given there are magnificent, and the finest suppers I ever saw. 
The English Ambassador gives a ball every week, which are also 
very agreeable. I can give you no idea of the gayety of this place. 
The nobility of Florence give, during the winter, a ball a week, 
which I attend. No one can go to the balls of the nobles except 



202 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

persons who can be presented at court. There are several Eng- 
lish families in Florence who give dinners and balls, and my time 
has been entirely taken up. I was out every night for three 
months until two in the morning, until I became so unwell that for 
the last two weeks I have had a fever, which forced me to stay at 
home. I am now better, and shall commence my amusements by 
going to a party this evening. Florence is much more agreeable 
than Paris, and indeed I never had as many invitations as I have 
had here. I observe what you say of my partiality for Europe, and 
am only surprised that you should wonder at my resembling every 
woman who has left America. I never heard of one who wanted 
to return there, not excepting Mrs. Gallatin ; besides, I think it is 
quite as rational to go to balls and dinners as to get children, which 
people must do in Baltimore to kill time. I should prefer a child 
of mine going to court and dancing every evening in the week in 
good company, to his or her marrying beggars and bringing chil- 
dren into the world to deplore existence. In America there are no 
resources except marriage, and as there was no one there for me 
to marry, I very naturally sought to quit a place where I was not 
pleased. 

I am too old to talk about protection, which indeed only silly 
widows such as Mrs. Sherlock ever think of, and that only when 
they seek to get rid of their single life. I shall return to America 
certainly, but it is quite natural that I should prefer Europe, where 
I am more in the way of amusing myself and where I am much 
more attended to. I must indeed do the Americans the justice to 
say they are very civil and kind to me, but they are not in the 
habit of giving parties and living in society, and I cannot expect 
them to change their customs for me. I am sorry to hear of poor 
Bentalou's death ; he was an excellent person, but he led such a 
dull life that his mind was affected by melancholy, and I believe 
he was tired of living. 

Commerce, as you justly think, is too precarious for any prudent 
person to risk their fortune in. It requires great judgment, great 
prudence, and great good luck, and the latter cannot be com- 
manded. I hope Miss Spear is cautious. I am too unlucky a per- 
son to tamper with chance. It has always been against me, and 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 203 

it has required the utmost exertion of the capacity and prudence 
which God gave me to make anything out of the hard fate which 
was allotted me. I am one of the few persons in the world who 
owe their position in society to their own efforts, and, really con- 
sidering everything, I have some merit in having worked my way 
to the consideration and respect which are shown me both in 
America and Europe. I worked against wind and tide. My com- 
pany is sought everywhere, and I have reason to congratulate my- 
self upon the discretion and prudence which have directed my 
course through life. 

Hugh Thompson's widow can get herself a husband of her own 
age. I like his generosity in providing for her so liberally, and 
thus putting it in her power to consult her taste when she marries 
the third time, which we all know she must have been far from 
doing when she married Thompson. It is a pity, however, that he 
made himself ridiculous by such a marriage, as he was to live 
only a fortnight after this amusing folly. I shall expect to hear of 
Mr. Oliver marrying some girl of eighteen, and nothing but his 
pride and fear of being made an object of ridicule to the public 
will prevent it, as I am certain he thinks it possible for some young 
woman to fall in love with him. He is a shrewd man, but Balti- 
more is dull and people naturally slide into absurdities to get rid 
of their time. I shall, find him married on my return — at least it 
will not surprise me. 

I shall write to M. Spear by this occasion. I have received 
her letter of November 3d. I have heard nothing new of the 
Catons. You all know of their great good fortune in fixing Mary 
in Europe. Her husband is old and poor, but she has been very 
fortunate in getting a man of rank. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Affectionately yours. 

Bo is thought to have very fine manners, and is very much ad- 
mired by every one. 

On the 1 2th of February Jerome wrote to his grand- 
father from Rome. He refers to his degree from Har 



204 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

vard; and says if Gilbert Stuart, has not health enough 
to finish his picture, it would be better to take it in its 
present condition, as the head is finished, and the body- 
can be painted by some other artist. He regrets that 
his father's pecuniary affairs are in such a state that 
there was not the least hope of any assistance from him ; 
that the greater portion of Madame Mere's fortune has 
been consumed in supporting her extravagant children, 
each of whom was richer than she was in 1814. Jerome 
says his father has a pension from Russia and Wurtem- 
berg of from $12,000 to $15,000 a year, but $30,000 a 
year would not cover his expenses, and the excess of 
his expenses over his income has to be supplied by his 
mother, whose fortune has been reduced in five years 
from one million to three hundred thousand dollars. 

Jerome further says that his father would like him to 
marry and settle in Europe, but he himself feels no incli- 
nation to one or the other, and thinks the best thing that 
he can do would be to return to America. He writes : 
" I am glad I came to Rome to see my family, but 
their mode of living and thinking is so entirely different 
from my habits of living and thinking, that I do not en- 
joy my residence at Rome ; and if I were once to adapt 
myself to it, I should be unfit for the station for which I 
am intended and have been educated. I see but few 
persons at Rome, out of my immediate connections. 
Mamma is still at Florence, where I shall go to meet 
her in the beginning of March ; she amuses herself very 
well at Florence, but I hope will return to America 
with me in the spring. My cousin Charles has been 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 205 

here ; he left America in the month of October, and re- 
turns there in the spring. . . . My grandmother's 
health is always the same, but her spirits are very bad. 
She is always very kind to me." 

In his next letter, dated February 20th, he says that 
he and his mother will probably sail for America in 
May. He gives the following lively description of the 
carnival : 

" Rome is excessively gay at present, and remains so until the 
end of the carnival, which continues for ten days longer. Every 
day at three o'clock the principal street is filled with carriages and 
pedestrians, many of them masked ; they remain in the street 
throwing sugar-plums at each other until five o'clock, when the 
cannon is fired, and the street cleared for the race of the horses : 
a dozen horses, covered with ornaments, in the inside of which are 
small nails which are always pricking them, without riders, are 
let loose at one end of the street and run to the other. The dis- 
tance is one mile, and at the place where the horses are stopped, 
the governor and senators of Rome are placed at a window, and de- 
cide which horse has won the race, and present his owner with a 
reward. After the race there are masked balls at the theatres, 
and at the houses of different individuals. My father gave a ball 
last night, but without masks. The carnival is the only gay sea- 
son at Rome, and lasts from six weeks to two months ; but the 
masks are allowed only during the two last weeks ; it is a great 
disadvantage to the country, and it occasions a great deal of idle- 
ness, but it is very amusing for a stranger to look at." 

The young man arrived in Florence about the first 
week in March, and spent there three months with his 
mother, whose head seemed turned by the attentions 
she had received from the grand duke and the for- 
eign ambassadors. Jerome writes to his grandfather : 
" Mamma's plans are very unsettled, but she has been 



206 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

so much gratified by the distinguished manner in which 
she has been received at court and by the diplomatic 
corps, that I rather think she will remain another year 
in Europe before returning to America to settle per- 
manently/' In still another letter he says that since he 
has been in Florence he has gone to a ball every night, 
and ridden one of his cousin's horses every day ; that 
his mother is delighted with the city, and goes out " all 
day and half the night." Jerome remained at Florence 
until the 4th of June, 1827, when he left for England 
via Rotterdam. On the day of his departure his 
mother wrote to her father a letter, in which she gives 
us still other glimpses of some of her distinguished 
friends, the attentions paid her, and the brilliant life she 
was leading. 

When we remember that she lived fifty years longer, 
it is strange to find Madame Bonaparte complaining, in 
this letter, that she was no longer as active either in 
mind or body as she had been, and that she felt the ad- 
vance of age. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, 4th of June, 1827. 
Dear Sir — Bo left at one this morning for Rotterdam, whence 
he goes to England, and will embark from Liverpool for New York. 
He is accompanied by Mr. Lovel, the brother of the Countess Vis- 
conti, whom I know very well, and with whom I arranged the jour- 
ney. Mr. Lovel only goes as far as England with him. His stay 
in England will be so short that I have not accepted offers of let- 
ters of introduction from Lord Burghersh, the English minister at 
Florence, or those offered me for the Duchess of Rutland by a re- 



MADAME BONAPARTE 207 

lation of hers. He has one from the son of Lord Holland to his 
father, which he will not have time to deliver. If he could have 
remained a few months in England I should have availed myself of 
these opportunities of introducing him properly ; but as his stay 
will only be of a few days, there would be little advantage in tak- 
ing letters. 

He has been three months with me, and during this time I 
have presented him to the ambassadors and all my other ac- 
quaintances. He has been more in society than could have been 
expected from so limited a residence in a place, but I was inde- 
fatigable in my efforts to draw him out. Young people are not 
sufficiently aware of the importance of visits, and making proper 
acquaintances, and getting over bashfulness, which is an insuper- 
able obstacle to getting on in the world. I am sure that back- 
wardness has been a great disadvantage to myself, which is one 
reason why I have always insisted upon Bo's frequenting society. 
It is scarcely possible to get necessary confidence when one passes 
the early part of life in retirement. 

I should have asked the permission of the grand duke to present 
him at court, if he could have spent next winter here. There are 
balls and concerts every week there, and I regret very much that 
the opportunity is lost of his being introduced. I have been as 
constant in my own attendance every week as the state of my 
health would allow, and I believe there is not a more agreeable 
court in Europe, or more amiable sovereigns. Bo not being able 
to pass through France, where I am obliged to go to arrange my 
pecuniary affairs and to buy my furniture, I concluded that it was 
better to let him go to England with Mr. Lovel. I shall postpone 
my own departure a few months, that I may have the society of a 
widow lady, who intends going to Paris, which will be a double 
advantage to me, as I shall have her company on the road and we 
can divide the expense. There are two English widows now at 
Florence who would either of them join me to return to France ; 
but we all desire to stay a few months longer here. I left Bo's 
legacy in Paris at four per cent, interest, and have given him an 
order on Miss Spear for the amount. He will be able to tell you 
the state of his family affairs, and that his grandmother has given 
either two or four hundred thousand dollars in the last five years 



208 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

to her pet son, who has spent them, besides other great sums. The 
family are not pleased with her giving all to one worthless spend- 
thrift, and of course they are all on bad terms with him — which I 
suppose she must have expected when she gave more to one than 
to the rest. I pity her very much, although I highly reprobate the 
injustice of her conduct. I refer you to Bo for all accounts of 
them, as well as for a description of this place and of the habits of 
the people. It was quite impossible for Bo to pass through 
France, which is the only country I can embark from, as my funds 
are there. Mr. Lovel is a very nice young man, and I feel quite 
as much confidence in his care of him as if I had gone to take 
care of him myself. Lovel pays katfthe expense — a consideration 
I never lose sight of, having found from experience that one's 
purse is the only certain friend. The journey through England is 
much longer than that I shall take, and, of course, much more 
expensive. Bo will tell you that Mr. Svertzkoff, whom I knew at 
Washington, is the Russian minister here, and that his house is 
very pleasant. I pass every Sunday evening there. I have 
written to Miss Spear that in future I shall pay Bo fifty dollars 
per month out of my own purse. I suppose people will think me 
very stingy and mean, but it is really all that I can afford. I 
should be most happy to make him a larger allowance ; but when 
the public consider that I am obliged to live myself, that I am in- 
firm, that I am no longer the active person in either body or mind 
that I have been, that age is coming on me, and that I require 
more eating and comforts of every kind than formerly, besides 
being obliged to pay taxes and to put up with low rents and 
tenants going off in debt, they will upon all this calculation see 
that I cannot possibly afford to give more than six hundred dol- 
lars a year ; his board, of course, h,e always will have with me, 
and trifling presents. The six hundred dollars will be for his 
clothing and his pocket money. It may seem and is a very paltry 
sum, L ut is proportioned to my means, and people cannot expect 
me to give more than I can afford. I should be sorry to pass for 
not giving him according to my means, as I wish to perform my 
duty and to keep well with the world both. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Affectionately yours. 



MADAME BONAPARTE.' 209 

Madame Bonaparte had found it impossible to tear 
herself away from the delights of Florence and accom- 
pany Jerome to America. Month after month her de- 
parture was postponed, and she still lingered among the 
gay scenes which she loved so well. In the summer of 
1828 she again determined to sail, and again abandoned 
the idea. She assigned as her reason that the vessel 
which was to sail at the time she had fixed for her em- 
barkation was the Don Quixote, " a ship in which noth- 
ing could induce her to sail." 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, May 30, 1828. 

Dear Sir — It was my intention to have returned to America 
this summer, but, after making my arrangements, I found that the 
Don Quixote, a vessel in which nothing would induce me to em- 
bark, was to sail on the 15th of July, the period which I had des- 
tined for my embarkation — being obliged to pass some time in 
Paris to settle some business respecting money, with which I spec- 
ulate in that place. I am afraid to sail later than the 15th, not lik- 
ing to arrive on the coast late in August. It requires a month for 
me to reach Paris, as I cannot travel post. 

We have lost poor Demidoff, who died most unexpectedly. He 
was a great friend of mine. I spent three evenings in the week at 
his house, and took every one there that I chose. The death, too, 
of the Russian minister, whose house was a great resource on Sun- 
day evenings, we have felt very severely. But DemidofPs loss will 
be felt by every class of persons, as his charity was greater than 
that of any person living. His fortune was immense. 

His will directed it to be equally divided between his children. 
He left no legacies to any of his friends, which induces people to 
suppose that he was not aware of his approaching end. My idea, 
however, is that he thought very justly that none of his friends had 



210 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

a right to inherit from him, and that to have given them dinners 
and balls as long as he lived was as much as we had a right to ex- 
pect from a stranger. He was a person of great natural sense, and 
the most good-natured creature possible. 

Charles * called to see me on his arrival, and told me that he had 
seen you all, and that all the family were well, and that Bo would 
not be marked with the small-pox. He says that he is very much 
obliged to you for the attention you showed him at Baltimore. He 
seems civil. He is gone to Rome to try to get some money out of 
his father. My opinion is that he might have saved himself the 
expense of the journey, as I am sure his father has nothing to give 
him. We have had balls and concerts at court all the winter, and 
balls at the English ambassador's, and supper parties at the Sardi- 
nian minister's, where I am asked once every week. All the am- 
bassadors have advised me to try to get Bo made secretary of lega- 
tion to England. The Swedish minister thinks it would be a great 
advantage, as there might be a chance of his getting afterward to 
Sweden, where the king, he thinks, would be kind to him on ac- 
count of the connection. I have little hope, however, of anything 
ever happening that I desire ; but I think if you and Gen. Smith 
would write to Jackson and ask for the place of secretary of lega- 
tion to England, it is possible that out of regard to you he might 
give it. I should in that event be willing to allow him as much as 
I can afford out of my income to enable him to live comfortably in 
England ; but it would be quite impossible for me to live there 
with him, as my means are inadequate to my living in London in the 
best society ; and of course I should not think of living in any other 
in any country. It would be a great sacrifice for me to part with 
an only child, but parents must consider the interests of their chil- 
dren. Mrs. Caton has set me a good example on this subject. 
She has, however, been more fortunate in fixing her children than 
I can hope to be. I think they are the most fortunate people I 
have ever heard or read of. Louisa f has made a great match. 
He is very handsome, not more than twenty-eight, and will be a 

* Son of Lucien Bonaparte. 

t Louisa Caton, granddaughter of Charles Carroll. She married the eld- 
est son of the Duke of Leeds. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 211 

duke with thirty thousand pounds a year. Mrs. Toussard wrote to 
me some time ago that her mind was not fully made up to leave 
France this year. 

I hear that Mrs. Brown is in a dangerous state of health. I am 
sorry the Gallatins have been so unfortunate as not to be able to 
marry their daughter yet. They are very good people, and she is 
very handsome ; but the truth is that some people are born more 
fortunate than others, which is the only way in which I can account 
for the poor girl not getting a husband. If you see Miss Spear, will 
you tell her that the reason why I do not write to her more fre- 
quently is because I do not think that it would interest her to hear 
of people whom she never saw. It would be a great thing if I could 
get Bo made secretary of legation. Hughes has got on famously, 
merely by persevering impudence, and Laura's match, which was 
thought so bad at the time, has turned out very well. I hope, 
however, that Bo will never marry. It is a great advantage to get 
daughters married, but there is by no means the same necessity to 
marry one's sons. I hope commerce has improved in America, 
and that there will be some safe way of investing money. If you 
and Gen. Smith would get Jackson to give the place to Bo, I would 
make every exertion to find the means to enable him to live in the 
best society, and to defray his expenses there. Since Demidoff's 
death Florence is no longer the same place, and many people are 
moving off, particularly single women and young men. At the 
baths last year he gave us a ball or a play or a concert every night. 
The Duke of Leeds, they say, is of course very angry at his son's 
marriage with Louisa. His daughter ran off a few months before 
with a man who has not a shilling. 

Adieu, my dear sir, 

Affectionately yours. 

I will thank you to tell Miss Spear that if Colt does not keep my 
money, I should like it to be invested in government bonds at par, 
which have some length of time to run. My great object is secu- 
rity, and I prefer moderate interest upon good security to great 
gains where there isany risk. She may rest assured of seeing me 
before a great while, but in the meantime it is better to get interest 
upon my little sums, when it can be done without risk. 



212 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Announcement of Jerome's Engagement— Mme. Bonaparte's Opposi- 
tion. — Congratulatory Letters from the Bonaparte Family. — Jerome's 
Marriage. — Congratulatory Letter from Princess Charlotte Bonaparte. 
— ^Characteristic Letter from Mme. Bonaparte. — The Grave preferable 
to Baltimore. — Mme. Bonaparte threatens to spend her Income. — The 
Americans in Europe. — Mme. Bonaparte makes her Will. — Jerome's 
Allowance is discontinued. — 1829-30. 

Madame Bonaparte was destined to be disappointed 
in all her ambitious matrimonial speculations for her 
son. Two years after his return to America her fond 
hopes of a brilliant European marriage for Jerome were 
ended by the announcement that he was engaged, and 
was soon to be married to a young lady of Baltimore. 
This news was communicated to her by her father, and 
called forth, for a time, her strong opposition, and 
threatened to produce a breach between her father and 
herself. Later, however, the violence of her displeas- 
ure at this interruption of her plans abated somewhat ; 
and though she never, perhaps, entirely recovered from 
her disappointment that her son should marry an Ameri- 
can, we shall see by her later letters that she did not 
permit it to alienate her from him for any length of time. 
For a while her correspondence with Mr. Patterson ex- 
pressed her feeling in the most violent terms ; then a 
long interval succeeded in which she wrote but little. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 21 3 

It seems that Jerome consulted his uncle Joseph in 
reference to his marriage before the engagement was 
announced to his mother, for we have a letter from the 
Count de Survilliers, dated April 10, 1829, more than 
three months previous to the date of Mr. Patterson's 
letter to Mme. Bonaparte, giving her the first intima- 
tion of the affair. 



JOSEPH BONAPARTE TO ' JEROME NAPOLEON BONA- 
PARTE. 

Pointe-Breeze, 10 avril, 1829. 

MON CHER NEVEU — . . . . Je ne saurais que te conseiller. 
. . . Ton grand-pere m'a semble' un homme de grand sens, et 
il me semble que tu dois beaucoup de consideration et de defe- 
rence a ce qu'il croira devoir te convenir davantage. Toi-meme, 
a cette heure, tu dois te connaitre et savoir ou tu as le plus a es- 
pgrer de succes et de bonheur. 

Je t'embrasse et te prie de me rappeler au souvenir de ton 
grand-pere. 

Ton affectionne" oncle, 

Joseph. 

TRANSLATION. 

Point Breeze, April io, 1829. 

My dear Nephew — I can only advise you Your 

grandfather has seemed to me to be a man of great sense, and it 
appears to me that you owe to him much consideration and defer- 
ence in a matter which he believes will be for your advantage. 
You ought yourself, by this time, to know where you may hope 
for the most success and happiness. . . . 

I embrace you, and beg to be remembered to your grandfather. 

Your affectionate ancle, 

Joseph. 



214 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Jerome announced his engagement to his father, his 
grandmother, and the rest of the family, and received 
congratulatory letters from them all. His father wrote 
to him as follows : 



PRINCE JEROME TO JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

Rome, Decembre i, 1829. 

Mon cher enfant— Je me hate de r§pondre & ta lettre du 
mois de septembre, par laquelle tu m'annonces ton manage. 
Des que je n'ai pas ete consulte sur un evenement aussi important 
pour toi, je suppose que tu as bien fait toutes tes reflexions, et 
des que mon consentement ne t'est pas n§cessaire, je me borne & 
t'envoyer ma benediction paternelle et a faire des voeux pour ton 
bonheur. Ce qui me tranquillise est de savoir que tu as Vassenti- 
ment de mon bien-aime frere et que cette uiiion est faite par le bon 
et respectable M. Patterson. J'apprends avec bonheur ce que ton 
grand-pere a fait pour toi et pour assurer ta fortune, ainsi que ta 
future est riche et douee de toutes les qualitSs. Ton bonheur, 
cher enfant, ne depend done plus dgsormais que de toi. II faut 
te mettre dans une situation naturelle et positive, car rien dans le 
monde ne compense d'une fausse position. Ce qu'il y a done de 
plus naturel pour toi est de rester franchement, reellement, sans 
arriere-pensee, citoyen americain. Tu te trouveras certainement 
par LI plus heureux de toutes les manieies que tes freres et soeur. 
Je suis fache, mon cher enfant, que tu n'aies pas ecrit & la reine : 
ses bontes pour toi meritaient au moins un souvenir dans une pa- 
reille occasion, et je desire que tu remplisses ce devoir le plus tot 
possible. Ecris-moi souvent, cher enfant, et donne-moi de tes 
nouvelles en detail, en ne doutant jamais de la tendresse pater- 
nelle do ton affectionne' pere. 

Signe : Jer6me. 

P. S. — Tes freres et sceur te font leurs amities ; la reine te dit 
bien des choses. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 21 5 

TRANSLATION. 

Dec. i, 1829. 

My dear Child — I hasten to answer your letter of Septem- 
ber, announcing your approaching marriage. Although I have 
not been consulted about so important an event, I suppose that 
you have carefully considered the matter ; and although my con- 
sent is not necessary, I send you my paternal blessing and wishes 
for your happiness. I am put quite at ease by knowing that you 
have the assent of my dear brother, and that the marriage has 
been brought about by the good and worthy Mr. Patterson. I 
learn with pleasure what your grandfather has done for you in or- 
der to assure your fortune, and that your future wife is rich and 
endowed with all good qualities. Your happiness, my dear child, 
will nevertheless only depend on yourself. You must be placed 
in a natural and definite situation, for nothing in the world com- 
pensates for a false position. Now, the most natural thing for you 
to do is to be really, truly, and without reserve, an American citi- 
zen. You will certainly find yourself, in that position, happier in 
every way than your brothers and sister. 

I regret, my dear child, that you did not write to the queen ; 
her kindnesses to you deserved at least that she should be remem- 
bered on this occasion, and I desire that you fulfil this duty as 
soon as possible. 

Write to me often, my dear child, and give me all the news of 
yourself, never doubting the paternal tenderness of your affec- 
tionate father. 

Jerome. 

P. S. — Your brothers and sister send their love ; the queen de- 
sires to be affectionately remembered to you. 

This letter was sent to Jerome by his uncle, the Count 
de Survilliers, who at the same time wrote to him the 
following note : 

Pointe-Breeze. 

Mon CHER NEVEU— Voici une lettre de ton pere qui me par- 
vient ouverte. . . . Je serai charme" de te revoir au printemps, 



2l6 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

ainsi que ta femme. Je te prie de me rappeler a son souvenir, ainsi 
qu'a celui de ta belle-mere et ton grand-pere. Je pense qu'il sera 
bien aussi de ta part d'ecrire a; la reine, comme le desire ton pere. 
Puisqu'il te le mande, c'est qu'il le juge convenable ; et tu ne dois 
pas lui refuser ce qu'il desire, lorsqu'il ne s'agit que d'un simple 
compliment. Je t'embrasse. 

Ton affectionne oncle, 

Signe : JOSEPH. 



TRANSLATION. 



Point Breeze. 



My dear Nephew — I enclose a letter from your father, which 
came to me open. ... I shall be charmed to see you and 
your wife in the spring. I beg you to remember me to her, as 
well as to your mother-in-law and grandfather. I think that it 
will be well for you to write to the queen, as your father desires. 
Since he commands it, he deems it proper ; you ought not to re- 
fuse what he asks, when it is merely an act of courtesy. I em- 
brace you. 

Your affectionate uncle, 

Joseph. 

Madame Mere also wrote to Jerome that she had 
heard with pleasure of his intended marriage, since the 
object of his choice possessed all the qualities which 
ought to make him happy. She hoped he would enjoy- 
all happiness in his married life ; and if her blessing 
could contribute to it, it would be complete and unalter- 
able. 

Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte and Susan May Wil- 
liams were married on the 3d of November, 1829. The 
wedding took place at the residence of the bride, 
on North Charles Street, Baltimore. The ceremony 
was performed by the Most Reverend James Whitfield, 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 217 

Archbishop of Baltimore. Mr. Bonaparte's groomsmen 
were Colonel J. Spear Nicholas, Mr. Charles Tiernan, 
Mr. William Donnell, and Mr. Pierce Butler, the hus- 
band of Fanny Kemble. The wedding was attended by 
the leading people of Baltimore. Among those present 
was the French Consul at Baltimore. The day after 
the wedding there was a gentleman's " punch drink- 
ing." There was no bridal tour. 

Letters of congratulation were sent to Jerome from 
the different members of the Bonaparte family, including 
Madame Mere, Louis, Jerome, the Princess Charlotte 
his cousin, and her mother the Countess Julie. 

THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE BONAPARTE TO JEROME 
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

Mon CHER COUSIN — Maman me permet d'ajouter quelques 
lignes dans cette lettre, et j'en profite avec plaisir, car il me tar- 
dait de vous faire aussi mon compliment et vous assurer des vceux 
que je forme pour vous deux. J'espere aussi avoir le plaisir de 
faire connaissance avec ma nouvelle cousine, a laquelle je vous prie 
de dire mille choses tendres. J'espere que vous ne m'avez pas 
tout a fait oubliee, quoique votre correspondance soit un peu ra- 
lenti. 

Adieu. Napoleon vous dit mille choses, et je vous assure de 
nouveau de mon amitie\ 

Charlotte. 

TRANSLATION. 

My dear Cousin — Mamma has permitted me to add a few 

lines to her letter, and I avail myself of this with pleasure, as I 

have delayed in sending my congratulations and assuring you of 

my good wishes for you both. I hope soon to have the pleasure 

10 



2l8 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

of becoming acquainted with my new cousin, to whom I beg you 
to give a thousand loving messages. I hope you have not forgot- 
ten me entirely, although your correspondence has been a little 
negligent. 

Adieu. Napoleon sends you many messages, and I once more 
assure you of my own affection. 

Charlotte. 

When Madame Bonaparte wrote the following letter 
she was not aware that her son's wedding had actually 
taken place, for she continues her denunciation of an 
American marriage, but says, if Jerome can be satisfied 
with living in Baltimore, she has nothing more to urge 
against it. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, December 4, 1829. 

Dear Sir — I wrote, in answer to your letters announcing the 
proposed marriage for my son, exactly what I felt at the time. I 
had endeavored to instil into him, from the hour of his birth, the 
opinion that he was much too high in birth and connection ever to 
marry an American woman. I hated and loathed a residence in 
Baltimore so much, that when I thought I was to spend my life 
there I tried to screw my courage up to the point of committing 
suicide. My cowardice, and only my cowardice, prevented my 
exchanging Baltimore for the grave. No consideration could have 
induced me to marry any one there after having married the brother 
of an emperor, and I believe that to this proud feeling I owe much 
of the respect and consideration shown me both in America and in 
Europe. After having married a person of the high rank I did, it 
became impossible for me ever to bend my spirit to marry any 
one who had been my equal before my marriage, and it became 
impossible for me ever to be contented in a country where there 
exists no nobility, and where the society is unsuitable in every re- 



MADA'ME BONAPARTE. 219 

spect to my tastes. The people, I believe, thought with me that 
neither nature nor circumstances fitted, me for residing in Balti- 
more. At least, I judge so from the profound respect and homage 
they have ever shown me, and I believe they perfectly agreed with 
me that both my son and myself would be in our proper sphere in 
Europe. I tried to give my son all my ideas and tastes, and, in the 
first weeks after hearing that he meant to marry an American 
woman, I was in despair. I think that I did my duty in trying to 
elevate his ideas above marrying in America, and you well know 
that I left nothing undone to effect this. I have considered now 
that it is unreasonable to expect him to place his happiness in the 
only things which can make me happy. (My happiness can never 
be separated from rank and Europe.) He has neither my pride, 
my ambition, nor my love of good company ; therefore I no longer 
oppose his marriage. I perhaps may think myself fortunate that 
he has not married even worse. If he can be satisfied with living 
in such a place as Baltimore — and he is the best judge of this — I 
have nothing more to urge against it. I feel that I have no right 
to make another person adopt my standard of happiness. I would 
rather die than marry any one in Baltimore, but if my son does 
not feel as I do upon this subject, of course he is quite at liberty 
to act as he likes best. As the woman has money . . . . I shall 
not forbid a marriage which I never would have advised. The 
family here have announced it to me. I replied that there was no 
one in America on an equality with my son ; that I had ever tried 
to prevent his marrying there ; but that, as she had some money, 
I should no longer oppose it. It is perhaps fortunate that he has 
not married worse, and I shall not oppose it any longer. He was 
perfectly aware, as well as yourself, when he commenced this 
business and when you gave your assent and encouragement to it, 
that I had always advised him not to marry in Baltimore, and 
that I detested living there ; therefore neither of you could be 
much surprised at my first letters on this subject. If he has mar- 
ried her, I have only to hope that your and his judgment have 
been better than mine. I hope too that he has not been cheated, 
which I think very likely, in the settlements. Part of her fortune 
ought to have been settled on his children in the event of his 
death before hers. I hope most ardently that she will have no 



220 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

children ; but, as nothing happens which I desire, I do not flatter 
myself with an accomplishment of my wish on this subject. 

I now repeat what I said in my last letters : that I would as soon 
have gone to Botany Bay to look for a husband as to have married 
any man in Baltimore ; but that, if my son thinks it possible for him 
to live there, and does not feel any of my repugnance to such a 
connection, that I no longer oppose it. He is the best judge of 
what he can support and endure, and I have no right to expect 
him to feel as I do. 

Yours affectionately. 

They ought to have given him half of her fortune at least, if he 
outlived her. 

Before she wrote again, Madame Bonaparte had been 
informed that the dreaded event had actually happened. 
Her whole correspondence at this period indicates that 
her marriage with " the brother of an emperor " had for 
the time turned her head. She talks of not having " the 
meanness of spirit to descend from such an elevation to 
the deplorable condition of being the wife of an Ameri- 
can." 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, 21 December, 1829. 

Dear Sir — I have received yours and Edward's * letters — his of 
27th October, and yours of 4th November. I have written you 
several letters, after having consulted with my friends here, to say 
that I should not take the responsibility of breaking off the match, 
but I shall never cease to regret that this alliance was ever thought 
of. I cannot give him my ambition and my pride, and as it is un- 
reasonable to expect him to be made happy by the only things 

* Madame Bonaparte's brother. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 221 

which render life at all supportable to me, rank and living in 
Europe, I have no right to oppose his living in the way he likes 
best. It is possible that your judgment and his are better than 
mine. I hope that they are. I tried to give him the ideas suitable 
to his rank in life ; having failed in that, there remains only to let 
him choose his own course. A parent cannot make a silk purse 
of a sow's ear ; and you found that you could never make a sow's 
ear of a silk purse. It was impossible to bend my talents and my 
ambition to the obscure destiny of a Baltimore housekeeper, and 
it was absurd to attempt it after I had married the brother of an em- 
peror. I had not the meanness of spirit to descend from such an 
elevation to the deplorable condition of being the wife of an Amer- 
ican. I often tried to reason myself into the courage necessary to 
commit suicide when I contemplated a long life to be passed in a 
trading town, where everything was disgusting to my tastes, and 
where everything contrasted so strongly with my wishes. 

I never could have degraded myself by marriage with people who, 
after I had married a prince, became my inferiors. 

The Americans themselves had sense and good taste enough to 
feel that I had risen above them, and have always treated me with 
the respect and deference due to a superior. When I first heard 
that my son could condescend to marry any one in Baltimore, I 
nearly went mad. Every one told me that it was quite impossible 
for me to make him like myself, and that, if he could endure 
the mode of life and the people in America, it was better to let 
him follow his own course than to break off a marriage where there 
was some money to be got, and leave him to marry a person of less 
fortune. I have no dislike to the woman he has married. 

I shall leave my fortune to my son. This is my duty as well as 
my inclination — and to his children after him ; if he dies without 
any (I hope that he never will have any), it must revert to my 
nearest relations. I have gained my fortune by the strictest econ- 
omy — by privations of every kind ; therefore, strangers must not 
profit by my sacrifices. It is my duty to leave my savings to my 
own blood, if my son dies without children. I repeat, that I would 
have starved, died, rather than have married in Baltimore ; but 
that my son, not having my pride, my ambition, or my utter ab- 
horrence to vulgar company, has a right to pursue the course he 



222 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

prefers, and I sincerely hope that he will never repent having be- 
gun this affair without my knowledge, and, as both you and he sup- 
posed, so entirely against my approbation, that I nearly died when 
I first heard of it ; but that I have no right to expect my son to 
place his happiness in the only things which can ever content me 
(rank and living in Europe), and that, as I cannot help it, I must 
try and content myself by the reflection that I did all I could to 
disgust him with America. I have hitherto lived in the meanest, 
most comfortless manner, as you all know. The miserly way in 
which I have lived and the beggarly shifts to which I have been 
obliged to resort to collect my present means, have been a great 
disadvantage to me in every respect. If I could have made a tol- 
erable appearance, it would have changed my affairs very mate- 
rially, not to say how much more agreeable life would have been 
to me than it has been. I shall in future spend four thousand dol- 
lars a year. ... I am clean out of this scrape. It now remains 
for me to say that Miss Spear must pack up my house linen, &c, 
and the whole must be sent in good trunks to New York to 
R. White, to be shipped for Leghorn, to the care of Fenzi's house 
there. My jewels must be sent by private opportunity to the 
American Minister at Paris. I educated my son with the intention 
of his living in Europe. I always told him and you that he neve.r 
should degrade himself by marrying in America. I have no light, 
after having said and done so much, to insist upon his living ac- 
cording to my ideas ; and I sincerely hope, and am willing to be- 
lieve, that you and he have been right and that I have been wrong. 

I hope too that all persons concerned in this match can recon- 
cile it to their conscience. Edward has behaved well to me on 
this occasion, and always acted well to me through life. You and 
my son knew that I never wished the latter to marry in Baltimore, 
and hurried it over to prevent my breaking it off. 

To the Americans in Europe I have answered as 

above, that I had always told him never to marry there, but that 
I have no right to make him think like me, and that, in fact, the 
whole was done without my knowledge, and that I would no longer 
oppose what I could not prevent. 

Very affectionately yours. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 223 

After her son's marriage, Madame Bonaparte deter- 
mined to abandon the " miserly " way in which she had 
been living as disadvantageous and uncomfortable, and 
in future to spend her whole income. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, 27 January, 1830. 

Dear Sir — I have received yours of 26th November. In answer 
to that part which relates to a reconciliation, I reply that I con- 
sider it my duty to leave my son at my death my property, and to 
promote his pecuniary interests as far as I can during my life. 
Should he die before me without children, I shall then leave what 
I possess to my nearest relations. I wish my son to write me 
every three months a statement of my money affairs, and to look 
over all accounts which Miss Spear has in charge. He is equally 
interested with myself in doing this. I claimed from Rome the 
pension of 500 francs for this month of January, 1830. They have 
paid it to me as usual. I will not neglect any means of getting it 
regularly paid. It is my intention in future to live up to my in- 
come, and to make as good an appearance as I can in the world. 
The miserly way in which I have hitherto been obliged to live has 
been a great disadvantage to me, besides being very uncomforta- 
ble. I should like to know how it would be most expedient to re- 
mit my income. I hope to receive my jewels, laces and black 
lace dress through a private conveyance to the American Minister 
at Paris, with an inventory of the contents. Harris is probably 
coming out, as I am sure that he will not be able to live there 
long. 

Very affectionately, 

Yours. 

Madame Bonaparte reiterates her intention to leave 
her fortune to her son, believing that no parent has a 
right to disinherit a child ; that she would have left him 



224 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

everything had he attempted to cut her throat and failed 
in the attempt. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, April 26, 1830. 

Dear Sir — I had written to you for the form of a will. Not 
having received it, I have made one here, by which I leave to my 
son my property of every kind, with the exception of the portraits 
which A. Smith and Joseph have in charge. These portraits, he, 
of course, will not regret. I have expressly, therefore, left all like- 
nesses of myself to persons who are likely to value them. I feel 
that no parent has a right to disinherit a child, and I should have 
done exactly the same thing if he had attempted to cut my throat 
and had failed in the attempt. The money I shall leave him has 
been raised on the privation of my comforts — almost on the neces- 
saries of life. Had I possessed the means of living comfortably, 
I should not have felt so cruelly the curse of existence. My life, 
from the want of money, has been a disgusting burden. I am 
ordered to take a long journey, in the hope that change of com- 
pany and change of air may restore my spirits which have, as you 
must have foreseen, been most severely tried by a marriage, be- 
gun against my approbation, and conducted in all its stages with 
the most open and decided contempt of my sentiments of every 
kind. I am, however, willing to hope that your judgment and my 
son's are better than mine, although I have been treated as if I 
had been a maniac or a wretch convicted of some infamous crime. 
In reply to that part of your letter which talked of reconciliation, 
I repeat that I still consider it my duty to leave my son the whole 
of my fortune, and that I will promote his pecuniary interests as 
far as I can during my life. 

I shall leave this on the 1st of May, and return here in Septem- 
ber. My spirits, never good, are now dreadfully broken, but I 
shall drag on the load of life many years. My income I shall in 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 225 

future spend. The miserable economy I was obliged to practise 
has been a great disadvantage to me. I always had in view the 
duty of providing for my son. I must change my mode of life and 
make it more expensive. I never can forget the treatment I have 
been made to experience in the conduct of this marriage. It is a 
recollection which will haunt me through life, and prevent my 
ever knowing an hour of happiness. 

I hope that your conscience will not reproach you for your con- 
duct, which has been even more unnatural than that of my son. I 
have not been able to write to the latter about his marriage since 
it took place. The subject always brings on the most dreadful 
feelings, and makes me ill for days. His pension has been paid at 
Rome for January, February, March, and April, of this year, 1830. 

I shall, when I recover my strength, send a copy of my will to 
my son, with my opinion of his conduct to me. ... I shall 
write to Jerome when there is any necessity about money affairs. 
Miss Spear must not pay him any longer the fifty dollars per 
month which I allowed him. I gave them out of my own com- 
forts. He has shown me that good conduct in parents cannot 
command affection in children, which I really had supposed that 
it always did. . . . By a codicil to my will I have desired that 
the trifling things, such as my inkstand and the little ornaments 
of little value which I have worn, should be distributed to per- 
sons who had shown me some kindness ; but all the money, and 
everything of value above twenty dollars, to be given to my 
natural, or most unnatural heir. I believe that I have conscien- 
tiously through life done my duty to my son, and in now leaving 
him the money, which I owe solely to my own economy, I have 
given the highest proof that neither duplicity, ingratitude, or un- 
natural conduct can make me swerve from my duty. 

Another letter, at the end of this year, continues the 
same themes. 



226 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Florence, 22 December, 1830. 

Dear Sir — I trouble you with the present to inform you that 
the five hundred francs per month, paid by the family at Rome, 
have been continued ever since the very ill-judged marriage made 
for my son. Miss Spear is. authorized to pay him the above, in- 
cluding this month of December, 1830. The fifty dollars per 
month, which I had been enabled by retrenchments on my table, 
fire, lights and dress to pay my son, were discontinued when he 
married, because it would be folly to starve myself any longer for 
a child whose conduct has convinced both the public and myself 
of the disregard in which he holds me. I willingly made sac- 
rifices for him, and would have deprived myself of anything to 
place him in the position which both his name and birth had 
marked out for him. . . . 

Placed by my marriage in a rank of life which I have hitherto 
resisted every temptation to disgrace, I feel it incumbent to ap- 
pear with decency in those societies where alone I will appear, and 
my whole income is too small for this purpose. Had my means 
been more ample, not even the .... conduct adopted 
toward me during the whole process of this marriage, could have 
made me stoop to the mean revenge of suppressing a pecuniary 
allowance to a child ; but I believe that every one who has not 
made hatred and contempt of me a systematic proceeding must 
confess that the time has now arrived for me to attend more 
closely to my interest than my relations have done for me. 

I think, because I have a high, perhaps an exaggerated, sense 
of the duties of a parent, that I ought to leave my fortune to my 
son at my death, and I mean to perform this act of duty. My 
idea is that neither unjust conduct on your part, nor bad pro- 
ceedings on his, can authorize me to act differently. It certainly 
requires a greater effort of virtue to fulfil duties to those who en- 
tirely forgot that they had any to perform towards me ; but I feel 
equal to this effort. This marriage must, as you both and every 
one knew, separate me from my son. It must, as you all foresaw 
and calculated upon, be to me during life a source of deep afflic- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 227 

tion and burning shame. Could I even believe what I sincerely 
desire — that the judgment which planned it will prove superior 
to mine — no one ever supposed, none who like or respect me can 
ever wish, me to forget the treatment I have received. 

My son knew the miserable shifts which procured me my pres- 
ent independence, and he ought, after all which has occurred, to 
have refused six hundred dollars a year out of my savings from the 
necessaries of life. My money has been hardly earned and shall 
be spent as best suits my purposes during my life, and at my 
death he may inherit what I leave. I shall give nothing to his 
children during his life to encourage them in disobedience to his 
wishes ; but, on the contrary, allow him to educate and marry them 
and provide for them according to his own judgment and desires. 
I think that both you and he will be perfectly satisfied with the 
fairness and justice of the conduct I mean to pursue. My senti- 
ments were already known to you respecting an American mar- 
riage for him. I had aways told you, and him, and every one 
else, that my consent to his marrying any one in Baltimore, either 
rich or poor, should and could- never be obtained, and that such a 
connection would distress and mortify me more than any misfor- 
tune which could ever befall me. My feelings and conduct have 
been open on this subject, and I leave them to be approved or 
disapproved, as the public best like. 

It would be fair in my family, and a justice they owe me and 
my reputation for pride and sense, to say that this marriage was 
contracted without my knowledge and in the most decided oppo- 
sition to the opinions and wishes I had ever expressed respecting 
my son's interests. I think that I would sooner have begged my 
bread from door to door than have degraded myself by entering 
into such a connection. My son by his birth was a much greater 
person than I have become by marriage, therefore had to stoop 
much lower than I should have done if any sordid consideration 
could ever have induced me to forget the respect I owed to my 
place in society. The only consolation I can ever feel upon this 
subject is that I can never be blamed for the poor miscalculation 
and miserable sacrifice which has been made of all his prospects, 
and that I tried to give him an education and feelings equal to 
what the world thought belonged to his name. I have now only 



228 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

one duty to perform towards him, which is, to let him inherit 
what may remain of my fortune at my death. I intended to have 
written this sooner, but the pain everything connected with this 
subject gives me affects even my health when I am obliged to 
write or speak on it. Miss Spear will send me my box of jewels, 
of which my son has the key, with an inventory in the box of 
every article, as well as inventories by post, by the first safe oppor- 
tunity to France — to be kept when there by the American minis- 
ter until I can get them. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 22Q 



CHAPTER XV. 

Birth of Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, Jr. — Congratulations from the Family 
— Kind Words. — Mme. Bonaparte and Gortschakoff. — Lamartine. — Her 
Departure from Florence. — Letter from Geneva. — Financial Affairs. — 
Princess Galitzin. — Mme. Bonaparte's Jewels. — Dying of Ennui. — "lam 
tired of Life.'' — Mme. Bonaparte and Mr. Dundas. — Countess Guic- 
cioli. — Letter from Paris. — Duchess d'Abrantes. — Letter from Mr. 
Patterson. — At Home Again. — 1831-33. 

On the fifth of November, 1830, a son was born to Mr. 
Jerome Bonaparte, of Baltimore, and congratulations 
were tendered by various members of his family, the 
first coming from the Count de Survilliers. 

A letter from Prince Jerome, dated January, 183 1, 
contained the following passages : 

A mon fils Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, a Baltimore. 

Mon CHER enfant — C'est avec bonheur que j'apprends par la 
lettre du 8 novembre que ta femme t'a rendu pere le 5 du meme 
mois. J'espere que ce cher enfant grandira a ta satisfaction et te 
donnera des sujets de consolation. Je le benis, ainsi que toi, et 
aime a fienser qu'un jour je pourrai le server dans mes bras. Em- 
brasse-le bien tendrement, ainsi que ta femme. . . . 

Adieu, cher enfant ; la reine te fait ses amities et t'ecrit par le 
meme courrier. Je te serre sur mon cceur, et suis ton affectionne 
pere. 

Signe: Jerome. 

Jerome, Mathilde et Napoleon t'embrassent. 



230 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

TRANSLATION. 

My dear Child — I have heard with great pleasure, from your 
letter of the 8th of November, that you had the happiness of be- 
coming a father on the 5th of the same month. I hope the dear 
child will grow up to your satisfaction and be a source of great 
comfort to you. I send my blessing to him and also to yourself, 
and love to think that one day I may be able to fold him in my 
arms. Greet him and your wife from me. 

Adieu, dear child. The queen sends congratulations, and is 
writing by the same mail. I fold you to my heart, and 

Am your affectionate father, 

Jerome 

Jerome, Matilda and Napoleon send their love. 

As Madame Bonaparte always said of her husband's 
family, they were lavish of kind words. While the 
Baltimore Bonapartes remained quietly at home, and 
when there was nothing to be gained from their Euro- 
pean connections, these relatives were very affectionate ; 
but, at the restoration of the empire, when they wished 
to be restored to their rights and to be recognized as 
a legitimate branch of the family, their kind words 
changed into unkind actions, as will presently be seen. 

After the birth of this child, Madame Mere also sent 
her felicitations as follows : 

Rome, 8 Janvier, 1831. 

" MON CHER FILS — J'ai appris avec un vif plaisir la naissance 

de votre premier-n6. Je fais des vceux pour qu'il vienne bien et 

pour qu'il soit pour vous un nouveau sujet de bonheur. Re- 

cevez ma benediction maternelle, et ne doutez jamais du tendre 

attachement que je vous porte, ainsi qu'a votre fils. Faites mes 

affectueux compliments a votre femme. Je vous embrasse avec 

tout raffection d'une bonne et tendre mere. 

Madame. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 23 I 



TRANSLATION. 

Rome, January 8, 1831. 

My DEAR Son — I have heard with great pleasure of the birth 
of your first-born. I offer my best wishes that he may continue 
well and be to you a subject of great happiness. 

Receive my maternal benediction, and never doubt the tender- 
ness I feel for you and also for your son. Give my affectionate 
regards to your wife. I embrace you with all the affection of a 
good and tender mother. 

Madame. 

We have also a letter written by Louis Bonaparte, 
who assumed the name of the Count de Saint-Leu, after 
the fall of Napoleon. 

LOUIS BONAPARTE TO JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

Florence, 4 Janvier, 1831. 
Mon CHER neveu — Je m'empresse de vous accuser reception 
de la lettre du 8 Novembre, que vous avec bien voulu m'ecrire, 
et de vous feliciter stir Vheureuse de.livrance de voire femme, a 
laquelle je vous prie de faire mes compliments. Quoique je ne 
doute pas que vous n'ayez exactement des nouvelles de voire pere 
et de vous autres parents, je ne veux pas laisser 6chapper cette 
occasion de vous en donner. Votre pere est toujours a" Rome et 
se porte bien. Votre grand" 1 ?7iaman n'est pas retablie de sa chute, 
parce que cela est presque impossible a son age ; mais elle sup- 
porte tr&s-bien son etat, et, a part sa cuisse cassee, sa sante est 
bonne. Votre grand-oncle le cardinal Fesch est toujours bien 
faible depuis l'hiver pass§ qu'il a eu une maladie assez grave dont 
il a peine &■ se remettre. Votre tante "Julie a ete trfes-malade et 
nous a donne des inquietudes ; mais depuis quelques semaines 
elle est mieux, quoiqu'elle ne soit pas encore retablie. Mon fils 
aine* et sa sceur se portent bien, grace si Dieu, mais ils n'ont pas 
suivi votre exemple : ils sont toujours sans enfants. Mon fils 



232 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Louis est aussi aupres de moi dans ce moment. Quant a moi, 
mon cher neveu, ma sant6 est toujours la mSme el peu pres, et 
comme c'est une goutte froide et nerveuse que l'age augmente, il 
est impossible que j'en guerisse, et je me resigne. Je vous prie, 
la premiere fois que vous m'ecrirez, de me donner des details sur 
votre interieur et de ne pas manquer de me parler aussi de voire 
oncle Joseph. Recevez a; cette occasion l'assurance de Vattache- 
ment de votre tres-affectionne oncle. 

Signe : Louis. 

TRANSLATION. 

Florence, January 4, 1831. 

My dear Nephew — I hasten to inform you of the receipt of 
the letter of the eighth of November, which you were good enough 
to write me, and to congratulate you on the happy delivery of 
your wife, to whom I beg you to present my compliments. Al- 
though I have no doubt that you have had news of your father and 
your other relations, I will not allow this occasion to pass without 
speaking of them. 

Your father is still at Rome and well ; your grandmother has 
not recovered from her fall, because it is almost impossible at her 
great age [81] ; but she supports her condition very well, and, ex- 
cept her broken thigh, her health is very good. Your great-uncle, 
the Cardinal Fesch, has been very feeble since last winter, when 
he had a serious illness, from which he has scarcely recovered. 
Your Aunt Julia has been ill, which made us very anxious, but 
during the past few weeks she is better, although not yet quite 
well. My eldest son and his sister are well, thanks be to God ; 
but they have not followed your example : they are still without 
children. My son Louis is also with me. As to me, my dear 
nephew, my health is almost always the same, and as I have a 
nervousness which age increases, it is impossible for me to be 
cured of it, and I resign myself to it. I beg you, the first time 
that you write to me, to give me detailed news of your home, and 
not to fail to tell me also of your Uncle Joseph. Be assured of 
the attachment of your very affectionate uncle. 

LOUIS. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 233 

No letters appear from Madame Bonaparte at this 
time, and we do not know whether she sent congratu- 
lations ; but as she had previously expressed a wish 
that her son would have no children, we suppose that 
she did not. 

It was during her long residence at Florence that 
Madame Bonaparte met the future famous Russian chan- 
cellor, Gortschakoff, who was at that time (1830) charge 
d'affaires at the court of Tuscany. They became great 
friends, and corresponded for many years. He was the 
only man she would condescend to argue with ; she 
considered him a foeman worthy of her steel ; upon 
other men she would not waste words. He said Mme. 
Bonaparte would make an excellent diplomat — she had 
so much finesse. In Florence, also, Mme. Bonaparte 
constantly met Lamartine in society. He was, at that 
time, an enthusiastic Bourbonist, and represented Charles 
X. at the grand ducal court. He was far from being 
then the " poetical republican " that he became in 1848. 

Late in the spring of 1831 Madame Bonaparte left 
Florence in company with the Russian Princess Galitzin, 
and they took up their residence during the summer at 
Geneva. The following letter was written during her 
stay there. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Geneva, 24 September, 1831. 
Dear Sir — I received two days since your letter of the 15th of 
August. I agree with you in the opinion that my money ought to 
be placed in the most permanent funds and those which offer the 



234 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

greatest security for the future. If the five per cents, of the city 
of Baltimore, and the five per cents, of the State of Maryland offer 
sufficient guarantees for the safety of capital invested, and regular 
payment of its interest, I can perceive no objection to Miss Spear 
purchasing for me in them. My opinion, founded on your state- 
ment of the moneyed concerns of Baltimore, is that my floating 
capital should be divided into three parts : one to be invested in 
five per cents, of the city ; one to be invested in five per cents, of 
the State ; the other third 'to be equally divided — one-half 'in ground 
rents, and the other half lent out as at present. 

The ground rents will, however, require consideration, as there 
may be some difficulty respecting the regularity of their payments, 
altho' I presume there can be none as to the safety or solidity of 
capital thus invested. The half of one third of my present floating 
capital ought to be loaned for a term of one year, eighteen months, 
or two or three years ; it being well understood and stipulated 
that property to its amount is pledged by the borrower to secure 
lender from loss of capital. 

It appears to me that these dispositions of my property might 
combine safety of investment with certainty of a moderate inter- 
est. I do not like paying five per cent, above par on the pur- 
chases ; but I prefer submission to this necessity to the most re- 
mote chance of greater loss which might occur from the manner in 
which my funds are at present disposed of. My desire to continue 
to lend, as at present, one-half of a third of my present floating 
capital, proceeds from the idea that everyone should have at their 
disposition a sum of money with which they may, when occasion 
offers, buy a bargain of property. 

I suppose that the five per cent, of the city and the five per cent, 
of the State are based on solid security. 

My great object has been and is to risk as little as possible in 
any way. I believe that a great deal might be made by purchas- 
ing in the French funds at their present reduced prices. The king 
may be changed, or the monarchy take the form of a republic, but 
the national guard, composed of all who have property to defend, 
affords in my opinion a sufficient barrier against anarchy. There 
is no danger of Russia, Austria, and Prussia attempting with suc- 
cess anything against France, because the cholera morbus and 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 23$ 

revolutionary feelings give them sufficient occupation at home. I 
do not, however, consider myself rich enough to speculate in any 
way. My endeavor ought to be to secure in everyway my present 
means, which are much too limited to allow me to risk their dimi- 
nution ; therefore I will not indulge the inclination I have always 
felt to gamble in French funds. 

Many women in Europe enrich themselves in this way. I have 
been living with Princess Galitzin ever since May, when I left 
Florence with her. We travelled in the same carriage at our re- 
spective expense, and passed the summer together on the same 
condition. 

She has just given forty thousand dollars for an estate near 
Geneva, which, under her superintendence, will produce a con- 
siderable interest, as she perfectly comprehends the direction of 
property of every kind. 

She is a woman of superior capacity, and, with only ten thousand 
dollars a year, by her cleverness and rigid economy does what I 
could not do with twenty. The prince, her husband, has just had 
a watch made, and will go with me to order one at the same price 
for Mr. White. The watchmaker requires three months to make 
such a one, and gives a written agreement to restore the money a 
year after and take back the watch, if it does not answer the pur- 
pose for which it was bought. The prince is a perfect judge of 
the value of money, and I shall be less likely to be cheated when 
directed by him than if I were to order a watch alone. My jewels 
will, I hope, arrive safely. I had given Jerome the key of the box 
before he left Florence, which I suppose that he has lost, as I find 
from their letters that they broke open the box, and then incurred an 
expense of two dollars to cover it with leather. I had desired them 
to specify in the most minute manner every article in the invoice 
sent to me, and I find on looking over the invoice that they did 
not take the trouble to count the pieces of cornelian and gold 
which I intended for a bracelet. The things sent last year to Leg- 
horn were sent in the most careless manner, without any invoice 
in the trunks ; in consequence of which, and the keys not having 
been sealed and sent, they were broken open at the health office, 
vhere the officers robbed me of six sheets. I find, upon consulting 
jewelers, that diamonds and other precious stones have consider* 



236 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

ably sunk in value in Europe. Diamonds, they say, bring a third 
less than formerly, and other gems half only. 

Commerce of every kind in Europe is depressed by the political 
convulsions which you have heard of. The cholera morbus is ex- 
tending, gradually and certainly, to increase the confusion, by 
giving pretexts for rebellion. I should suppose that real property 
must rise in value in America if revolutions here continue. I in- 
tend to pass the winter at Paris, and will leave Geneva very soon, 
because France will before long establish a sanitary cordon on the 
frontiers to prevent the introduction of the cholera morbus, which 
is daily expected at Geneva. I have a presentiment that I shall 
not die with it, and they say that persons who do not fear it have 
the best chance of escaping the infection ; but I have arranged all 
my affairs as if I were certain of dying. I hope and trust that there 
will be some certain mode found to invest my property in America. 
At present it appears to me that five per cents, of the State and of 
the city, for the solidity of which there are of course guarantees, 
will be the best investment. You can read all this to Miss Spear. 
My health is perfect at present, and if the cholera does not reach 
me I have the prospect of a very long life, therefore feel most 
anxious that my little fortune may be secured. I have written to 
my banker at Florence my intentions respecting the will I leave 
in his hands, when he hears of my death. 

I am glad to hear that the Bank of Maryland stock has brought 
more than its value. My twenty shares cost me originally six thou- 
sand seven hundred and sixty dollars. I wish that some other fools 
could be found to buy Caton's road stock. 

It would not meet my ideas of prudence to speculate in the 
French funds, because I never will in anyway risk money. I have 
always preferred moderate and certain gains, but persons who are 
rich and fortunate might make money by purchasing at the pres- 
ent moment. A government (there is none there at present except 
the national guard) must arise out of the confusion, and although 
no one can tell what the government will be, yet the chances are 
in favor of the preservation of the national debt. 

I wouM not risk ; but I am a great coward, and not rich enough. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 237 

Mme. Bonaparte, parsimonious in all other matters, 
was not so in relation to dress and ornaments. A 
letter from her to a friend in Baltimore has recently 
been discovered, in which she describes some of her 
jewels, and affords a glimpse of her inner life, showing 
that her eager, active, and unceasing pursuit of worldly- 
pleasure had ended in ennui and disappointment. Mme. 
Bonaparte was at the time forty-seven years old, and 
still one of the most beautiful women in Europe. The 
letter is dated " Geneva, 30 March, 1832," and after 
speaking of her future plans — Aix for the summer, and 
Paris the next winter, she says ; " I have had all my 
emeralds and diamonds, with twenty large pearls and 
three white topazes, added to several rings and my gar- 
net cross, made into a magnificent ornament for my 
head. My solitaire diamond ring and a solitaire which 
I took out of a pin (once belonging to Princess Borg- 
hese) I have added to my ear-rings. My turquoise 
ring, my diamond garter ring, my emerald ring, my 
emerald cross, and two pairs of emerald ear-rings, are 
all in the'head ornament. Princess Galitzin says that it 
is a royal ornament. It is so contrived as to serve for 
the head, the neck, and the waist — the three white 
topazes are to be mistaken for diamonds. 

" Can you, for love or money, contrive to send me a 
string of white topazes ? I want to wear it as a neck- 
lace and pretend that they are diamonds. I want, too, 
as many as will make a buckle for my belt — no one has 
them in Europe, and they are found in the Brazils. 
Send for them if you cannot find them in Baltimore, 



238 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

and do contrive to forward them to me by some private 
conveyance, to save the duties. Do not put off this 
commission, for, even if I have too many for myself, I 
can give what is left to the princess, who is famous for 
making shifts, and wearing false precious stones, and 
for contrivances of every sort to make an appearance 
on economical elegance. Do not shillyshally about 
these white topazes. By the way, if I could procure a 
large yellow topaz, I should not be sorry. 

" I am dying with ennui, and do not know in what 
way a person of my age can be amused. I am tired of 
reading and of all ways of killing time. I hear that 
Prince Jerome and his wife are living at Florence, which 
will prevent me from returning there. There are quan- 
tities of Russian women in Geneva, because their em- 
peror does not permit them to go to Paris. Princess 
Basile Galitzin, however, is going for a few weeks to 
purchase finery. 

I doze away existence ; I am too old to coquet, and 
without this stimulant I die with ennui. The princess 
tries to keep me up to the toil of dressing by telling me 
that I am a beauty. I am tired of life, and tired of 
having lived. Do try to get me a string of white to- 
pazes. It is a bore to grow old. I live exclusively 
with the English and Russians. The Genevans are too 
odious for any decent person to live with them. Lord 
Normanby is named Governor of Jamaica. What a 
fall from his theatre at Florence ! but he has no money 
and great debts. I was very intimate with Lady Nor- 
manby the last year of her reign at Florence. She is 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 239 

the very quintessence of fashion — the fine flower of bon 
ton. All is vexation and vanity." 

Mme. Bonaparte's agreeable society made her very 
popular with her European friends. As the summer of 
1832 approached, she had invitations from three Russian 
princesses to spend the season with them. Her friend, 
Princess Galitzin's campagne, near Geneva, was a favor- 
ite resort. Here Mme. Bonaparte passed two days in 
every week ; a bedroom was always prepared for her, 
and a carriage to convey her backward and forward. 

It was at this period that Mme. Bonaparte made the 
retort to the Hon. Mr. Dundas, which was repeated all 
over Europe. At a dinner-party given by a " rich idiot, 
whose menu and wines were first rate," it fell to Mr. 
Dundas to escort Mme. Bonaparte. He was not 
pleased to have her assigned to him, for he had already 
in the drawing-room suffered from her sarcasm. At 
dinner he thought he would get even with his oppo- 
nent. So, when the soup was over, he asked her, with 
a malicious smile, whether she had read Captain Basil 
Hall's book on America. Mine. Bonaparte said she had. 

" Well, madame," said Mr. Dundas, " did you notice 
that Captain Hall pronounces all Americans vulgarians ? " 

" Yes," answ r ered Mme. Bonaparte, " and I am not 
surprised at that. Were the Americans the descend- 
ants of the Indians and the Esquimaux, I should be 
astonished ; but, being the direct descendants of the 
English, it is very natural that they should be vulga- 
rians." 

Mr. Dundas said nothing more to Madame Bona- 



240 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

parte during the dinner, and took an early opportunity 
to withdraw from her company. Later, however, they 
became warm friends. 

Among the European celebrities known to Mme. 
Bonaparte was the Countess Guiccioli, Byron's friend. 
She described her as having nothing of the Italian in 
her appearance ; on the contrary, she was a decided 
blonde, with a shower of golden hair falling over a fair, 
lovely face ; her eyes were blue, her hands delicate, and 
her teeth white and beautiful. 

Mme. Bonaparte spent the winter of 1832-3 in Paris. 
She was prevented from returning to Florence because 
her husband had selected that city for a residence, and 
she never wished to see him again. She announces 
to her father her intention to return to America and go 
to housekeeping in Baltimore. Her allusion to the 
Duchess d'Abrantes is interesting, and her refusal to 
tell that parvenue gossip anything discreditable about 
her unworthy husband gives us a new glimpse of her 
character. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO WILLIAM PATTERSON. 

Paris, 10 October, 1833. 
Dear Sir — It was my intention to have left Europe last spring, 
but I was prevented .by several circumstances. I have engaged 
my apartments here until next June, when I shall go to Havre 
to embark. I am sorry to learn that my house over the bridge 
cannot be rented. I hope that Jerome aids Miss Spear in the ac- 
counts. I hope that no risks are run in investing. I was obliged 
to leave Florence on account of my health, which is now perfectly 
restored. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 241 

The Princess Galitzin brought me to Geneva, where I lived with 
her some time. I could not return to Florence because Prince 
Jerome went there to live, having no desire ever to meet him. 

I should like, on my return, to assist Miss Spear in purchasing a 
small house. Her proposals to me for ten years have been that 
she should pay one-half and that I should pay one-half, and that 
the property after her death should go to me or to my heirs. 
When I am in Baltimore I will see what could be done ; but of 
course during my absence nothing respecting purchases of real 
property would be thought about either by her or by me. 

General Reubell's daughter is married to an American. They 
live very handsomely at Paris. General Devereux is ruined. He 
is gone to Florence. The Livingstons are here. I cannot write 
more on account of a sore finger. 

The Duchess d'Abrantes has published twelve volumes of me- 
moirs, where she relates everything relating to the Bonaparte 
family. She has mentioned me in the highest terms, and has over- 
rated my beauty and conduct. Since the publication she has made 
my acquaintance. I have refused to give her any anecdotes, either 
of Prince Jerome or of myself. She has already said enough of ill 
of him, and more good of my beauty and talents than they deserve. 

Dear sir, truly yours, 

E. Patterson. 

Please not to show this letter to any one except to my son, nor 
to speak of the contents unless Miss Spear mentions anything to 
you about her proposals on the subject of my paying half, on the 
conditions above mentioned. I cannot enter into arrangements of 
this description until my return. I will not delay my departure 
after June, and I may, perhaps, sail in May. The French funds 
have fallen in the last two days. There is apprehension of war in 
Spain. 

To the above letter Mr. Patterson sent the following 

answer. 

11 



242 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 



WILLIAM PATTERSON TO MADAME BONAPARTE. 

Baltimore, io March, 1834. 

Dear Betsy — I some time since received under cover from Mr. 
L. Harris your letter of 10th October, which is the only one that 
has come to hand from you for several years. How could you 
have neglected the duty of writing for so long a time. But still it 
affords me pleasure to have heard from you at length, and to find 
that you have concluded to return to your native country. Time 
brings about what we little have expected, and sweet home and the 
natural intercourse and connection with our family is, after all, the 
only chance for happiness in this world. We are in great confusion 
and distress in this country, on account of President Jackson's ar- 
bitrary conduct in respect to the Bank of the ^ nited States. There 
is no saying how it may end, or that it may not ultimately bring 
about a revolution. Your presence here is absolutely necessary 
to look after your affairs and property, and the sooner the better. 
We will all endeavor to make your situation as comfortable as we 
can. 

I am dear Betsy, yours very sincerely, 

W. P. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 243 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Madame Bonaparte's Return to America. — Foreign Finery. — Her Mature 
Beauty. — Death of William Patterson. — His Singular Will. — His Costume 
and Literary Taste. — Madame Bonaparte revisits Europe. — Letter to 
Lady Morgan. — Solitary Life in Paris. — Death of Cardinal Fesch, also of 
the Princess Charlotte and the Duchess d'Abrantes. — Count Demidoff 
and the Princess Mathilde. — Madame Bonaparte at the Springs. — Her 
Brilliant Conversat' . 1. — 1834-48. 

Early in the summer of 1834 Madame Bonaparte re- 
turned to America and took up her residence in Balti- 
more. Nine years had passed since her departure. 

Her dislike of everything American extended even to 
the fashions, and before leaving Europe she laid in a 
supply of finery sufficient to last for many years, some 
of which she continued to wear up to the time of her 
death. Among other things, she brought with her 
twelve bonnets, which she said "were to last her as 
long as she lived." The famous black velvet bonnet 
with orange-colored feather, which is identified with 
her latter years, was not, however, one of these twelve. 

Another article, which she always carried with her on 
the street for upward of forty years, was %.red umbrella ; 
either open or shut, she was never without it. 

The beauty of Madame Bonaparte cannot be exagger- 
ated ; it was not of that perishable kind peculiar to 
America, which scarcely survives the teens. She was 



244 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

now in the fiftieth year of her age, and still so beautiful 
that one who had received nothing but unkindness from 
her, and who saw her now for the first time, declared her 
to be the most lovely creature she had ever beheld. 
Hers was not the ordinary type of American beauty. 
She possessed the pure Grecian contour, her head was 
exquisitely formed, her forehead fair and shapely, her 
eyes large and dark, with an expression of tenderness 
which did not belong to her character ; and the delicate 
loveliness of her mouth and chin, the soft bloom of her 
complexion, together with the beautifully rounded shoul- 
ders and tapering arms, combined to form one of the 
loveliest of women. 

She had never had many friends in her native city, 
and she found most of them either dead, removed, or 
estranged, when she returned. Occasionally she might 
be seen at the opera or at an evening party, when her 
beauty and wit always made her the most conspicuous 
object. Her toilet on such occasions was a black velvet 
" dress with low neck and short sleeves, a superb necklace 
of diamonds, besides other costly ornaments. 

In the winter of 1835 Mr. Patterson died, leaving the 
longest and most remarkable will that has ever been filed 
in the Orphans' Court of Baltimore City. Although his 
fortune was very large, he left his daughter only a few 
small houses, and the following bitter words : 

" The conduct of my daughter Betsey has through life been so 
disobedient that in no instance has she ever consulted my opinions 
01 feelings ; indeed, she has caused me more anxiety and trouble 
than all my other children put together, and her folly and miscon- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 245 

duct have occasioned me a train of expense that first and last has 
cost me much money. Under such circumstances it would not be 
reasonable, just, or proper that she should inherit and participate 
in an equal proportion -with my other children in an equal division 
of my estate ; considering, however, the weakness of human nature 
and that she is still my daughter, it is my will and pleasure to pro- 
vide for her as follows, viz. : I give and devise to my said daughter 
Betsey, first, the house and lot on the east side of South Street, 
where she was born, and which is now occupied by Mr. Duncan, the 
shoemaker. Secondly, the houses and lots on the corner of Market 
Street bridge, now occupied by Mr. Tulley, the chairmaker, and 
Mr. Priestly, the cabinetmaker. Thirdly, the three new adjoining 
brick houses and the one on the corner of Market and Frederick 
Streets. Fourthly, two new brick houses and lots on Gay Street, 
near Griffith's bridge ; for and during the term of the natural life 
of my said daughter Betsey ; and after her death I give, devise and 
bequeath the same to my grandson, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte." 



This discrimination against her in her father's will 
was another disappointment added to those already ex- 
perienced by his daughter. Although the actual in- 
justice done her did not prove to be great, owing to the 
ultimate value of the property she received, and although 
the will also contained considerable bequests to her son, 
she felt the matter keenly. 

Mr. Patterson was the last gentleman in Baltimore 
who wore small-clothes and a cue. His portraits repre- 
sent a man of firm, determined character, with high, 
patrician features, which would seem to confirm Madame 
Bonaparte's assertion that her father came of an ancient, 
but reduced family. He believed and practised the 
maxim that " money and merit are the only sure and 
certain roads to respectability and consequence." He 



246 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

early learned to love books, and declared that, had he 
possessed a fortune of two thousand dollars a year when 
a young man, he would have devoted himself to philoso- 
phical pursuits. 

In the summer of 1839 Madame Bonaparte again vis- 
ited Europe and took up her residence in Paris. She 
was accompanied by her son, who visited Italy to look 
after a legacy of fifty thousand francs which his great- 
uncle, Cardinal Fesch, had recently left him. 

In a letter written to Lady Morgan during this visit 
we find some reflections on her experiences at home. 



MADAME BONAPARTE TO LADY MORGAN. 



Paris, Rue d'Algers, N*. 4, September 22, 1839. 

Dear Lady Morgan — You will be less surprised to know of my 
arrival in Europe than I am to find myself here. I never supposed 
that I had preserved sufficient energy or moral courage to put into 
effect my inclination to absent myself from the Republique par ex- 
cellence. A residence of a Urw months in the Etats Unis would 
cure the most ferocious republican of the mania of republics. 

We have security neither for our lives nor our persons in Amer- 
ica. I have been two months in France, a period of time which 
has passed very dully. I have found few of those persons whom 
I knew and saw habitually five years ago. Death, time, and ab- 
sence have left me scarcely an acquaintance at Paris. If our 
friends do not die, their sentiments change toward us so much 
that really I know not which is most distressing, to hear that they 
are gone to the other world, or that they have forgotten us in this 
vale of tears and have become strangers to us. 

I have met few persons who possess the stability of friendship 
that I find in yourself. You are, in this particular as in most oth- 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 24/ 

ers, une fiersonne distinguee. My son is gone from Geneva to 
Italy, to visit his relatives and to see after a legacy which the 
late Cardinal Fesch, his grand-uncle, had the goodness to leave to 
him. He wanted me to go to Geneva to see him, but I could not 
attain the courage to extend my long journey farther than Paris. 
Here I am in solitary existence. In one of his letters he re- 
marked that it had been your intention to write to me ; if you 
have had that goodness, your letter must have reached Baltimore 
after my departure. I regret this circumstance very much. I 
have seen Mr. Warder ; his regard for me has held out against 
time and circumstances ; he is unchanged in kind feeling ; but, 
poor man, time has dealt hard with his exterior — he looks as if he 
had begun to exist a century ago. 

Madame Benjamin de Constant is an agreeable person ; has had 
the goodness to recollect me. I dined yesterday at her house en 
petit comite. I have myself grown fat, old, and dull — all good 
reasons for people not to think me an intelligent hearer or listener. 
They mistake, however ; I have exactly the talent to appreciate 
the high powers of all others, without being able to contribute 
much to the liveliness of conversation myself. 

Have you no agreeable work to promise us ? 

The poor Duchess d'Abrantes, Madame Junot, made a sad end — ■ 
the natural consequence of her prodigal expenditure. Her pecu- 
niary difficulties, it is said, caused her death. I liked her very 
much, and I always felt pained at the misery which her want of 
judgment in the direction of her affairs had brought on her. I be- 
lieve that her heart and feelings were warm and generous. 

I wonder that you did not select Paris in preference to London 
for a permanent sejour. I should much prefer living at Florence, 
but there lives there one individual whom I wish not to meet again. 
Whether persons have been the voluntary or the unreflecting 
cause of having spoiled a destiny, I would sooner avoid their 
presence. I know not whether the Princess Charlotte, the late 
daughter of Joseph Bonaparte, was fortunate enough to be person- 
ally of your acquaintance. 

I did not myself know her, but I have heard from those who did, 
that she possessed some mental superiority and a great many 
noble qualities. 



248 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

I hope that Sir Charles Morgan still recollects me and preserves 
for myself the friendship he formerly entertained for me. 
Adieu, my dear Lady Morgan. 

Believe me ever your sincere and affectionate friend, 

E. Patterson. 

This visit to Europe was, on the whole, uneventful, 
and in July, 1840, Madame Bonaparte returned once 
more to America. We have a letter from her soon after 
she arrived in New York, which shows how carefully she 
had watched her business affairs during her absence. 
The letter is written to her agent at Baltimore ; it is as 
precise and clear in its language as a legal document. 
We give it as a specimen of her business correspondence. 

New York, July 13, 1840. 

Sir — I have received your letter of the 9th of this month. I re- 
mark therein two payments of $33. 34 made by F . There ex- 
isted an individual of a similar name, a vender of artificial flowers, 

inhabiting part of the house occupied by P . I refused the 

said F for my tenant, having understood that payments due 

to his landlord could not be expected of him. Mr. P., a punctual 
and highly responsible person, hired the house near Frederick 
street from me in his own name ; therefore I had no. possible ob- 
jection to his placing trust in Mr. F -. I did not receive, sir, 

your letter for the month of May last, having left Paris, bound for 
New York, in the same month. Therefore I am ignorant whether 

Mr. R has vacated one of the granite front houses, and whether 

Mr. F has succeeded him in the occupancy of said house. I 

hope that J. P. has not substituted him for such a good tenant as I 
have ever found the former to be. Please have the goodness to 
inform me of all these circumstances, and at the same time state 
to me the dates of the days on which, subsequent to my departure 
from Baltimore, the new tenants had entered my houses. I cannqj: 
at the moment designate with any certainty the period when I may 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 249 

arrive at Baltimore. I have at New York some business which it 
is important that I should terminate previously to my departure. 
You will perceive that the statement made by me and left with 

yourself, respecting the amount of money due from Mrs. W for 

rent, was entirely accurate ; therefore she is expected to pay in 
conformity with that. 

Your obliged, 

E. Patterson. 

When a marriage was arranged between Count Ana- 
tole Demidoff and Princess Mathilde, the half-sister of 
Mr. Bonaparte of Baltimore, Jerome communicated the 
fact to the latter ; at the same time the Princess Mathilde 
wrote him a most affectionate letter, saying that the new 
duties she was about to assume would not lessen her 
affection for her brother. The Count Demidoff was a 
man of cultivated taste, and spent liberally out of his 
princely income, encouraging scientific and literary en- 
terprises. They were married at Florence in 1840, and 
in a letter written on November 27th, the same year, 
the young bride assured her half-brother that her new 
state realized all her fondest anticipations. Yet in less 
than five years after this the pair were separated. . The 
E-mperor Nicholas compelled Count Demidoff to allow 
his wife a pension of two hundred thousand francs a 
year. The Princess Mathilde has considerable literary 
and artistic talents, and has always been devoted to the 
society of literary men. Sainte-Beuve and Theophile 
Gautier were among her friends. 

After her return to America in 1840, Madame Bona- 
parte was in the habit of spending her summers at 
Rockaway Beach, and sometimes, but rarely, the Virginia 



250 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Springs. Although she did not participate in the gayety 
of the ball-room, she always gathered a crowd around 
her by her sharp wit and clever satire. It is universally 
admitted that her conversational powers were of the 
highest order, that her great fluency of language and her 
large fund of anecdotes made her a most entertaining 
companion. Persons who knew little of her personally, 
visited her merely to hear her talk. She delighted to 
speak of her early life, her romantic marriage, her Euro- 
pean experience — of her distinguished friends, Gortscha- 
koff, Demidoff, the Duke of Tuscany, Princess Galitzin, 
Lady Morgan, the Countess of Donegal, the Earl of 
Normanby, and the rest. 

During these visits to the Springs she was never 
known to enter the pool, thinking that where so many 
persons bathed together the water might have become 
un healthful. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 2$ I 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The French Revolution of 1848. — Napoleon III. — Letter to Lady Morgan. — 
Madame Bonaparte announces herself an Imperial Bonapartist and hopes 
the Prince President may become Emperor. — Her Views of Republics. — 
Her Obscure Life in Baltimore. — Her Fortune. — Chateaubriand. — Letter 
of Jerome Bonaparte to Napoleon III. — The Emperor's Reply. — Mr. 
Bonaparte visits France. — He dines with the Emperor. — He is declared 
a Legitimate Son of France. — Opposition- of his Father. — He resigns his 
American Citizenship. — Another Letter from the Emperor. — He proposes 
to create Mr. Bonaparte Duke of Sartene. — Prince Napoleon opposes the 
Advance of his Brother. — Decision of Legitimacy from the French Court, 
but Deprivation of Imperial Rank. — Mr. Bonaparte's Indignant Letter to 
the Emperor. — Death of Prince Jerome, ex-King of Westphalia. — His 
Will. — Madame Bonaparte claims the Fulfilment of her Marriage Con- 
tract. — Eloquent Appeal of Berryer. — Madame Bonaparte loses her Case. 
— 1848-60. 

The French Revolution of 1848 found Madame Bona- 
parte buried in that Baltimore obscurity which she so 
much deplored ; but the election of Louis Napoleon to 
the Presidency of the French Republic seemed again to 
open the way to a distinguished European career to her 
and her family. 

Mr. Jerome Bonaparte had maintained very cordial 
relations with Prince Louis Napoleon ever since their 
first meeting at Rome, in 1826 ; and when Louis Napo- 
leon visited the United States in 1837, Mr. Bonaparte 
invited him to take up his residence at his country-seat, 
near Baltimore. 



252 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

To this invitation the prince replied that in a month 
he would commence his travels in the interior, and the 
first thing he should do would be to visit his cousin. 
He recalled with pleasure the time they had passed to- 
gether at Rome and at Florence. 

In the spring of 1849, Madame Bonaparte wrote to 
Lady Morgan that she intended to visit Europe during 
the next July. Although she was now in her sixty-fifth 
year, she seemed to anticipate with pleasure what she 
called an emancipation from her dull native country and 
her long vegetation. She says that, although the em- 
peror drove her back to what she most hated, a resi- 
dence in Baltimore, she had ever been an imperial Bona- 
partist, and she was enchanted that six millions of voices 
had elected an imperial president. She shows not a 
little political foresight in anticipating the coup d'etat of 
1851. 

MADAME BONAPARTE TO LADY MORGAN. 

Baltimore, March 14, 1849. 
My dear Lady Morgan — I was most agreeably surprised by 
your letter of the 17th of February. I had heard and believed 
that you were living in Dublin. You may be quite convinced 
that I consider it a bonne fortune pour ?noi that you inhabit Lon- 
don. To enjoy again your agreeable society will be my tardy 
compensation for the long, weary, unintellectual years inflicted on 
me in this my dull native country, to which I have never owed 
advantages, pleasures, or happiness. I owe nothing to my country ; 
no one expects me to be grateful for the evil chance of having been 
born here. I shall emancipate myself, par la grace de Dieu, about 
the middle of July next ; and I will either write to you before I 
leave New York, or immediately after my arrival at Liverpool. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 253 

I had given up all correspondence with my .riends in Europe 
during my vegetation in this Baltimore. What could I write about 
except the fluctuations in the security and consequent prices of 
American stocks. There is nothing here worth attention or inter- 
est save the money market. Society, conversation, friendship, 
belong to older countries, and are not yet cultivated in any par< 
of the United States which I have visited. You ought to thank 
your stars for your European birth ; you may believe me when 1 
assure you that it is only distance from republics which lends en- 
chantment to the view of them. I hope that about the middle of 
next July I shall begin to put the Atlantic between the advantages 
and honors of democracy and myself. France, je Vespere dans 
son interet is in a state of transition, and will not let her brilliant 
society be put under an extinguisher nominee la Republique. 

The emperor hurled me back on what 1 most hated on earth — 
my Baltimore obscurity ; even that shock could not divest me of 
the admiration I felt for his genius and glory. I have ever been 
an imperial Bonapartiste quand meme, and I do feel enchanted at 
the homage paid by six millions of voices to his memory, in voting 
an imperial president ; le prestige du nom has, therefore, elected 
the prince, who has my best wishes, my most ardent hopes for an 
empire. I never could endure universal suffrage until it elected 
the nephew of an emperor for the chief of a republic ; and I shall 
be charmed with universal suffrage once more if it insists upon 
their president of France becoming a monarch. I am disinter- 
ested personally. It is not my desire ever to return to France. 

My dear Lady Morgan, do you know that, having been cheated 
out of the fortune which I ought to have inherited from my late 
rich and unjust parent, I have only ten thousand dollars, or two 
thousand pounds English, which conveniently I can disburse an- 
nually. You talk of my "princely income," which convinces me 
that you are ignorant of the paucity of my means. I have all my 
life had poverty to contend with, pecuniary difficulties to torture 
and mortify me ; and but for my industry and energy, and my de- 
termination to conquer at least a decent sufficiency to live on in 
Europe, I might have remained as poor as you saw me in the year 
1816. 

I shall have much to tell you. Lamartine and Chateaubriand 



254 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

are giving their memoirs to the public. The :Arst de son vivant, 
I am now reading Les Memoires d'outre-tombe. I have no doubt 
what your memoirs would be infinitely better, more piquant and 
more natural. When I knew Lamartine he was charge d'affaires 
from Charles X. Florence was then a charming place ; I met 
him every night at parties. How little did I foresee that he 
was to become a poetical republican, and that dear Florence was 
to be travestie en republique / ni Vun ni V autre ne gagnera par le 
troc. Hoping that England may remain steady and faithful to 
monarchical principles, that at least some refined society may be 
left in the world, I shall, Dieu permettant, have the satisfaction of 
seeing you in the course of next summer. 
I am, as ever, 

My dear Lady Morgan, 
Your affectionate and obliged friend, 

E. Patterson. 

Upon the re-establishment of the empire under Napo- 
leon III., Mr. Bonaparte of Baltimore addressed a letter 
to his cousin congratulating him upon his accession to 
the imperial throne of France. He had hoped, he said, 
to express these sentiments in person, but had been com- 
pelled to postpone his promised visit to Europe. 

The emperor answered him as follows : 



NAPOLEON III. TO JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

Mon COUSIN — Malgre votre eloignement et une bien longue 
separation, je n'ai jamais doute de l'inter§t de coeur avec lequel 
vous suiviez toutes les chances de ma destinSe. Aussi ai-je recu 
avec un grand plaisir la lettre qui m'apporte vos felicitations et 
vos vceux. Je vous en remercie. Les nouvelles que vous me don- 
nez de la vocation de votre fils pour la carriere militaire et de son 
entree dans un regiment de carabiniers ne m'ont pas 6te" moins 
agreables. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 255 

Quand les circonstances le permettront, je serai, croyez-le 
bien, fort heureux de vous revoir. Sur ce, mon cousin, je prie 
Dieu qu'il vous ait en sa sainte garde. 

Ecrit au palais des Tuileries, le 9 fevrier 1853. 

Signe : Napoleon. 

TRANSLATION. 

My COUSIN — Notwithstanding distance and a very long separa- 
tion, I have never doubted the affectionate interest with which 
you have followed all the chances of my destiny. Therefore, I 
have received with .great pleasure the letter which conveys to me 
your congratulations and good wishes. I thank you for it. The 
news which you give me of your son's vocation for a military 
career, and of his admission into a regiment of mounted rifles, 
has not been less agreeable. 

When circumstances permit, believe me, I shall be very happy 
to see you again. I pray God that he will have you in His holy 
keeping. 

Written at the palace of the Tuileries, 9th February, 1853. 

Napoleon. 

Mr. Bonaparte visited Paris in June, 1854, and imme- 
diately upon his arrival was invited to dine at St. Cloud 
by the emperor. When he entered the palace, Mr. 
Bonaparte received from the hands of the emperor a 
paper containing the deliberate opinion of the Minister 
of Justice, President of the Senate, and the President 
of the Council of State, upon the subject of the mar- 
riage of Prince Jerome with Miss Elizabeth Patterson, 
to the effect that Jerome Bonaparte ought to be consid- 
ered a legitimate child of France — that he was French 
by birth, and if he has lost that title, a decree could re- 
store it to him, under the terms of Article 18 of the 
Civil Code. 



256 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Mr. Bonaparte expressed the most profound gratitude 
to the emperor, and asked to be restored to the position 
of a French citizen. In a few days he received the fol- 
lowing letter : 



NAPOLEON III. TO JEROME NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 

25 juillet, 1854. 

MON CHER COUSIN — J'ai recu vos deux lettres, j'en avais dej£t 
recu une de mon oncle Jerome, qui me disait qu'il ne consentirait 
jamais a ce que vous restiez en France, etc. Je lui ai repondu 
que, les lois franQaises vous reconnaissant comme fils legitime, je 
ne pouvais faire autrement que de vous reconnaitre comme parent, 
et que si votre position a, Paris etait embarrassante, c'etait si vous 
seul a en juger ; que Napoleon, sHl se conduisail Men, ri 1 avail rien 
d craindre des rivalites de famille, etc. II faut, sans irriter votre 
pere, continuer de suivre la marche que vous vous Stes proposee. 
J'ecrirai demain a Fould pour les arrangements dont nous sommes 
convenus. 

Bien des choses & JerSme, et croyez a ma sincere amitie. 

Signe: Napoleon. 



TRANSLATION. 

July 25th, 1854. 

My dear Cousin — I have received your two letters, and I 
had already received one from my uncle Jerome, who informs me 
that he will never consent to your living in France. 

I have answered him that, if the laws of France recognize you as 
a legitimate son, I cannot do otherwise than recognize you as a 
kinsman, and that if your residence in Paris was embarrassing, 
you alone were to be the judge of that ; that Napoleon, if he be- 
haved himself well, had nothing to fear from family rivalries, etc. 
You must, without irritating your father, continue to pursue the 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 257 

way that you intended. I will write to-morrow to Fould as to the 
plan we have agreed upon. 

With my kind regards to Jerome, 

Believe me, 

Yours sincerely, 

Napoleon. 

On the 30th of August, 1854, a decree was inserted 
in the " Bulletin des lois," declaring that M. Jerome 
Bonaparte est reifitegre dans la qnalite de Francais. 

On the 17th of August, 1855, the emperor signified 
to Mr. Bonaparte his intention of creating him Duke of 
Sartene ; but, as the object of this was to induce Mr. 
Bonaparte to give up the name of bis family and his 
rights as the eldest son of his father, he declined the 
proffered title. 

In 1856 the King of Wiirtemberg arrived at Paris, 
and Prince Napoleon, the son of Jerome and the Prin- 
cess of Wiirtemberg, made this a pretext for a more di- 
rect attack against the legitimate rights of his half- 
brother, and appealed to an imperial family council to 
forbid Jerome Patterson from assuming the name of 
Bonaparte " which does not legally belong to him." 
On the 4th of July, 1 8 56, after the family council had 
heard M. Allon, who appeared as the advocate of the 
prince, and M. Berryer, who represented the Baltimore 
Bonapartes, it was decided that the descendants of 
Madame Elizabeth Patterson were entitled to the name 
of Bonaparte, but without the advantages conferred, by 
the 201st and 202d Articles of the Code of Napoleon. 
Napoleon III. sanctioned the judgment of the council; 



258 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

but added with his own hand, " His Majesty the Em- 
peror by his conduct toward the descendants of Ma- 
dame Patterson, since the judgment was determined, has 
thought it right to prove that he did not consider them 
as belonging to his famille civile." 

Mr. Bonaparte felt the great injustice done to him by 
this decision, and wrote to the emperor : " As I was 
born legitimate, as I have always been recognized as 
s-uch by my family, by the laws of every country and 
by the entire world, it would be the height of coward- 
ice and dishonor to accept a brevet of bastardy. I 
have not raised the question — I no longer have any fear 
of it ; and if the family council has rendered an illegal 
and unjust decision, at least it has been stopped by the 
impossibility of depriving a man of the name which 
he has borne from his birth to the age of fifty years 
without its ever being contested. 

" Being the victim of calumnies, intrigues, and lies, it 
only remains for me, sire, to repeat the desire which I 
have made known to your majesty in my letter of the 
20th of March — to go with my son into exile, and await 
the justice which I am convinced heaven will render to 
me sooner or later." 

Prince Jerome died on the 24th of June, i860. He 
left an autograph will dated the 6th of July, 1 852, by 
which he appointed his son the Prince Napoleon, born 
of his second marriage, sole legatee of all the dispos- 
able share in his succession ; he confirms at the same 
time the marriage portion of his daughter the Princess 
Mathilde ; but he says not a word of his first marriage 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 259 

— not a word of the engagements assumed by an 
authentic contract with his first wife. The prince, at 
the moment he thought he was about to die, forgot that 
he left in the world a first-born son — a son the heir of 
his name — a son to whom he had constantly expressed 
the most profound paternal affection — a son to whom 
the law assigned inviolable rights in the inheritance of 
his father. 

After the death of the ex-King of Westphalia, Ma- 
dame Bonaparte made a direct appeal through her son, 
to the French court, for a share in his estate. The elo- 
quent Berryer again represented the Baltimore Bona- 
partes, and their cause could not have been in better 
hands ; all that profound learning, persuasive rhetoric, 
and gifted speech could do, was done. He told the 
story of the romantic marriage of the beautiful Balti- 
more girl to the brother of Napoleon : Miss Patterson 
was young; she was in the enjoyment of every advan- 
tage, when, under the guidance of her father and. in the 
fulfilment of every legal requirement of her country, 
she bound her life to that of the brother of the First 
Consul. A little time passed and Miss Patterson found 
herself abandoned and repudiated. The hand which 
her husband had solemnly pledged to her was to be 
given to another. That husband was now dead. For 
fifty-five years she had been sustained by her brave ma- 
ternal love and the noble pride of a life without a stain. 
" She comes," said Berryer, " from her distant home 
beyond the Atlantic ; she appears before this august 
court asking for the declaration of her rights, and de- 



260 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

mands the vindication of her honor and the establish- 
ment of her child in the position due to his birth." 
The orator then tells who the Pattersons were ; under 
what influences his client had been brought up ; how 
the "great Jefferson" had spoken of her father's house 
as one of the most honorable and opulent in America. 
But, notwithstanding the eloquence of her advocate — 
notwithstanding the justice of her cause, Madame 
Bonaparte lost her case ; but she won the sympathy of 
Europe. 

The admission of the rights of the Baltimore Bona- 
partes to membership of the imperial family would 
have complicated the rights of succession ; hence, while 
they were admitted to be legitimate, they were denied 
all claims to imperial rank. 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 26l 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Madame Bonaparte's Last Days in Baltimore. — European Reminiscences.— 
Her Fortune and how it was accumulated. — Her Business Habits. — Her 
Parsimony. — Generosity to Relatives. — Her Regular Life. — Her Beauty 
and Vanity. — Anecdotes at the Springs. — Her Religious Views. — Her 
Carpet-bag. — Her Trunks of Ancient Finery. — Her Interest in European 
Politics. — Marshal Bertrand. — Napoleon regrets the Shadow he casts 
upon Madame Bonaparte. — Her last Illness and Death. — Her Funeral. — ■ 
Her Will.— 1861-1879. 

After this last attempt to obtain justice from the 
French courts, Madame Bonaparte returned again to 
her Baltimore obscurity. 

The last eighteen years of her life were spent in re- 
tirement. She lived in a quiet boarding house. Her 
time was employed in recalling the brilliant events of 
her European career, and in obtaining safe invest- 
ments for the savings of her large income. Her for- 
tune amounted to one million five hundred thousand 
dollars, which yielded her an income of nearly one hun- 
dred thousand dollars per annum, out of which she 
spent something like two thousand a year. 

The greater part of her money she accumulated dur- 
ing the last thirty years of her life by saving ; for, as we 
have seen from her letter to Lady Morgan, written in 
1849, she possessed at that time only an income of ten 
thousand dollars a year. In her old age she often said : 



262 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

" Once I had everything but money ; now I have noth- 
ing but money." 

Even when she had reached the advanced age of 
ninety, Madame Bonaparte was in the habit of visiting 
the business parts of the city, collecting her dividends, 
making close bargains with brokers, and managing all 
her affairs with great shrewdness. She invested her 
money in various ways, because, as she said, " It was 
not wise to put all your eggs in one basket." 

Parsimonious to all others, she was very liberal to her 
grandsons. During the time that her grandson Jerome 
was in the French army, she gave him very large 
sums, saying " she wished him to appear in a manner 
befitting his birth, as the grandson of a king." On the 
17th of June, 1870, her son died, leaving his country- 
seat to his two sons jointly. She bought out Jerome's 
share and presented it to his younger brother. In the 
last few years of her life she was accustomed to give at 
Christmas a present of one hundred dollars each to two 
or three favorite relatives. 

She was very regular in her habits of life, retiring at 
ten and rising promptly at six, during her residence in 
Baltimore. Of course, while living in Europe, attending 
nightly balls and parties, she was compelled to keep 
late hours, but she never lost sleep at night without 
making it up during the day. 

Contemporary testimony to her beauty is unanimous. 
As some one said of her, " She charms by her eyes and 
slays with her tongue." But if her witticisms inspired 
fear, her gay manner and childlike laughter took away 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 263 

their sting. She was very vain of her personal charms, 
and once asked a lady, who had recently returned from 
Europe, if "she had not heard of her beauty on the 
continent ? " She was in the habit of standing before 
her portrait, and viewing with complacency the won- 
drous beauty which had led captive the heart of Jerome 
Bonaparte. 

Madame Bonaparte was morbidly sensitive about her 
age. One summer, at the White Sulphur Springs, she 
enjoyed the society of a Baltimore gentleman very 
much, complimenting his manners, conversation, etc., 
until one day he committed the fatal mistake of asking 
Madame's age. She never spoke to him again. Another 
summer, at the York Springs, Pennsylvania, she was 

annoyed by the familiarity of a Mrs. , of Baltimore. 

One day, while seated at dinner, next to Madame Bona- 
parte, she remarked : " Madame, I am very glad to 
meet you. I hear you were once very beautiful. How ol^ 
are you now ? " To which Madame Bonaparte curtly 
replied, " Nine hundred and ninety years, ninety-nine 
days and nine minutes." 

Notwithstanding the quiet life she led in Baltimore, 
Madame Bonaparte continued to enjoy the visits of her 
friends up to the very last. She conversed freely, often 
with vivacity, and frequently with bitterness. She had 
very little confidence in men, but did not withhold her 
admiration from her own sex, if she met one who came 
up to her standard, which was very seldom. 

In a conversation on the subject of religion with the 
late Mrs. John Eager Howard, of Baltimore, Madame 



264 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

Bonaparte said if she adopted any religion it would be 
the Catholic, because at least " that was a religion of 
kings — a royal religion." Her niece, who was present, 
exclaimed : " Oh ! aunt, how can you say such a 
thing : you would not give up Presbyterianism ? " 
To which Madame Bonaparte responded : " The only 
reason I would not is, that I should not like to give up 
the stool my ancestors had sat upon." 

A carpet-bag containing valuables was Madame Bona- 
parte's constant companion. If she was called to the 
parlor to see a visitor, she took it with her and hung it 
on the back of her chair. In every expedition this car- 
pet-bag was taken, and, on more occasions than one, 
young gentlemen who wished to show some attention 
to Madame have been annoyed and embarrassed by 
being obliged to carry this thoroughly old-fashioned 
companion. In one of her earlier trips to Europe she 
carried in her own hands a small trunk containing her 
jewels. During the journey to Philadelphia she was in- 
troduced to a young gentleman of Baltimore, and, upon 
arriving at the above city, she handed him the trunk, 
saying : " Young man, take this ; it contains my 
jewels," and, taking his arm, she said : " I will hold on 
to you," which she did until safely settled in a carriage 
with her treasures. Her room was piled with trunks, 
and up to the time of her last illness she was in the 
habit of looking over her ancient finery. Each article 
had its history : this was her husband's wedding coat ; 
this dress was given her by the Princess Borghese ; this 
one had been worn at the court of Tuscany ; this one 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 265 

she wore at the Pitti Palace on the day she met her 
husband ; this she wore when presented to Madame 
Mere, etc. 

To the last she manifested the liveliest interest in 
European politics, but never cared anything for Ameri- 
can affairs. She considered it a misfortune to have 
been born beneath the " stars and stripes," but said 
that the fact of being born here did not reconcile her 
to living here. When negroes were admitted to Con- 
gress, she caustically remarked that " baboons were 
in the senate, and monkeys in the house, which was 
carrying republican principles out to their legitimate 
ends." 

When Marshal Bertrand visited the United States 
thirty-five years ago, he requested an interview with Ma- 
dame Bonaparte. He assured her that the emperor at St. 
Helena had often spoken with admiration of her talents, 
and regretted the shadow he had cast upon her life. 
He had been told of the high opinion she had of his 
genius, and one day he said to Bertrand, " Those whom 
I have wronged have forgiven me ; those I loaded with 
kindness have forsaken me." 

During the last two years of Madame Bonaparte's life 
her digestive powers failed, and she lived almost exclu- 
sively upon brandy and milk. She went down stairs for 
the last time on Christmas Day, 1878, but was taken ill 
five days afterward. Her physician knew this would 
be her last, illness, for she did not manifest any desire 
to leave her bed, as she had always done in pre- 
vious indispositions. She said that she had a disease 
12 






266 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF 

which medicine could not cure — old age ; and on 
some one's remarking in her presence that nothing was 
so certain as death, she laconically replied, " Except 
taxes." 

Her remarkable vitality continued to the last ; for 
sixty hours she was dying, or as her physician said, " P'or 
two days and a half her life was entirely automatic." 
Her perfectly unemotional nature was one of the causes 
of her prolonged existence. She was free from all those 
corroding passions which consume human life. Her 
beauty in one form or other never forsook her. The 
fulness of figure which generally disappears with advan- 
cing age she still retained, and the palms of her hands 
were as rosy as an infant's. Her forehead was still fair, 
and her dark eyes never lost their brightness until 
quenched by death. She died about mid-day on the 
4th of April, 1879, having completed her ninety-fourth 
year in the February previous. Her funeral took place 
from the residence of her daughter-in-law, and was at- 
tended only by her immediate family and a few friends. 
She was buried at Greenmount Cemetery, where seven 
years before she had purchased the small lot for herself. 
As she had been solitary in life, she wished to be alone 
in death. 

Madame Bonaparte belongs to history as well as to 
romance ; she had known princes and philosophers, 
queens and poets, men of science and men of letters. 
There was about her the brilliancy of courts and palaces, 
the enchantment of a love-story, the suffering of a victim 
of despotic power. Her husband was a king, but she 



MADAME BONAPARTE. 26? 

wore no crown ; her brother-in-law was an emperor, but 
she was excluded from all the honors of royalty. Yet 
her name will always be found in history. The story of 
the most remarkable man of modern times cannot be 
written without mentioning her ill-starred marriage. 
By the laws of justice and of the Church she was a queen, . 
although she was never allowed to reign. Born while 
the Bourbons were on the throne of France, her child- 
hood witnessed its institutions swept away by a deluge 
of blood. As she grew to womanhood she saw the 
star of Napoleon begin to rise ; she saw also its decline ; 
the restoration of the Bourbons and their second exile ; 
the elevation of Louis Philippe ; the French revolution 
of 1848 ; the return of the Bonapartes to power in the 
person of Louis Napoleon as President of the French 
Republic ; the establishment of the Second Empire and 
its end. She died while France was trying the experi- 
ment of a third republic, and declared in her last hours 
that the people of Europe were tired of kings and em- 
pires ; that before the dawn of the twentieth century the 
celebrated prophecy of Napoleon would be fulfilled — that 
Europe would become republican. 

The will of Madame Bonaparte was opened two days 
after her funeral. True to her often expressed inten- 
tions, it left her property to her family, dividing it be- 
tween her grandsons, Mr. Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte I 
and Mr. Charles Joseph Bonaparte, in nearly equal por- 
tions. To Mr. Charles Joseph Bonaparte it left the 
" portraits of King Jerome, his grandfather, and that of 
myself — the three heads on one piece of canvas painted 



268 LIFE AND LETTERS OF MADAME BONAPARTE. 

by Stuart ; a cabinet portrait of myself painted at Ge- 
neva, by Massot, and also the portrait made of me by 
Kinson." Also . . . . "all histories of my life 
written by myself, my diaries, dialogues of the dead, let- 
ters received by me from various correspondents, and 
all manuscripts whatever belonging to me." 



INDEX 



INDEX. 



[The various correspondence appearing in the volume is indexed under the 
head of Letters.] 



Abrantes, Duchess d\ 240, 241, 247 
Alexander, Emperor of Russia, 138 
Allen, Miss, 137, 152 
Allon, M. , 257 

Anderson, Mrs. , Madame Jerome Bo- 
naparte's companion, 28 
Armstrong, Gen., 19 
Astor, Mr. , 58, 176 
Astor, John Jacob, 54, 69, 71, 72 
Astor, Mrs., 138 

Bacciochi, Misses, 158 

Barney, Commodore Joshua, 6 

Beasley, Mr., 49, 162, 167 

Bentalou, Captain Paul, II, 21 

Bernadotte, Gen., 81 

Berryer, M., 257, 259 

Bertrand, Marshal, 265 

Bishop of Baltimore (John Carroll) 

marries Miss Patterson to Jerome 

Bonaparte, 8 
Bonaparte, Cardinal, 185 
Bonaparte, Caroline, see Madame 

Murat. 
Bonaparte, Charles (son of Luci'en), 

visits Madame Bonaparte at Flor- 
ence, 210 
Bonaparte, Charles Joseph, grandson 

and heir of Mme. Bonaparte, 267 
Bonaparte, Charlotte, 80 et seq., 87, 

97, 107, 155, 188 et seq., 194, 247. 
Bonaparte, Eliza, 73 



Bonaparte, Jerome, lands at New 
York, 6 ; engaged to Elizabeth 
Patterson, 7 ; married to Miss 
Patterson, 8 ; embarks with his 
wife on the " Cadiz," 21 ; sails for 
Europe with his wife on the 
"Erin," 24; his interview with 
Napoleon, 26 ; his marriage nulli- 
fied by the French Civil Tribunal, 
34; consents to a divorce, 36 ; mar- 
ried to the Princess Fredericka 
Catharina, 38 ; at Wiirtemberg, 
52, 61 ; extravagance of, 64, 68, 
82, 85 ; at Rome, 89, 95 et seq. ; 
meets Mad. Jerome in Florence, 
99 ; urges the marriage between 
Jerome Napoleon and Charlotte, 
108 ; his finances, 158 ; lives in 
Florence, 238 ; death of, 258 

Bonaparte, Madame Jerome, early 
years of, 5 ; engagement to Je- 
rome Bonaparte, 7; marriage, 8 ; 
sails for Amsterdam, 27 ; arrives 
at Dover, 28 ; returns to Balti- 
more (1805), 31; again in England, 
40 ; is divorced from her husband, 
42 ; visits Paris, 51 ; returns to 
America (1816), 53 ; again in Eu- 
rope, 53 ; at Geneva, 53, 67 ; her 
friendship with Lady Morgan, 70 ; 
at Rome, 80; meets Jerome in 
the Pitti Palace, 99 ; at Paris, 99 ; 



272 



INDEX. 



returns to Geneva, no; her cor- 
respondence with Lady Morgan, 
118, 129 et seq.; visits Paris, 134 ; 
returns to America (1824), 155 ; 
again in Europe, 162 ; her popu- 
larity, 196 ; her insight into char- 
acter, 197 ; returns to Baltimore 
in 1834, 243 ; discrimination 
against her in her father's will, 
245 ; revisits Europe (1839), 246 ; 
returns, 248 ; applies for a share 
in her husband's estate, 259 ; the 
case decided against her, 260 ; 
anecdotes of her last years, 261 
et seq. ; her death, 266 ; her will, 
267 

Bonaparte, Jerome Napoleon (son of 
Mad. Jerome Bonaparte), his 
birth, 28 ; at school, 41, 55 et seq. ; 
correspondence with his grand- 
father Patterson, 54, 67, 73, 74, 84, 
86, 93, 109, 148, 154 et seq., 161, 
163, 195, 198, 199, 203 ; plans for 
his marriage, j^, 82, 87 ; expenses 
in Europe, 77 ; reception by the 
Bonapartes at Rome, 87 ; sails for 
America, 90 et seq. ; visits his 
uncle Joseph at Bordentown, 93 ; 
prepares for college, 109 ; admit- 
ted to Harvard, 117; in Europe, 
182 et seq. , 190 ; his marriage, 212 
et seq. ; birth of his eldest son, 
229 ; his friendship with Louis Na- 
poleon, 251 ; visits Paris to secure 
the recognition of Napoleon III., 
255 ; refuses the title of Due de 
Sartene, 257 ; receives French cit- 
izenship, 257 ; letter to Napoleon 
III., 258 

Bonaparte, Col. Jerome (son of Jer- 
ome Napoleon Bonaparte of Bal- 
timore), birth of, 229; Mme. Bona- 
parte's gifts to, 262 ; his inherit- 
ance from her, 267 

Bonaparte, Joseph, 64, 69, 74, 80 et 
seq., 88, 89, 94 

Bonaparte, Letitia, 91 



Bonaparte, Louis, 89 et seq., 96, 109, 
no 

Bonaparte, Louis Napoleon, no ; 
chosen president of the French 
Republic, 251 ; declares the Em- 
pire, 254 

Bonaparte, Madame Louis, 10 

Bonaparte, Lucien, n, 14, 16 

Bonaparte, Madame (Mere), 22, 78, 
80, 82, 85 et seq., 89, 91, 95, 101, 
109, 112; her will, 124 et seq., 
186, 216 

Bonaparte, Princess Mathilde, 249 

Bonaparte, Napoleon, see Napoleon I. 

Bonaparte, Prince Napoleon, son of 
Jerome, 72 

Bonaparte, Napoleon, son of Louis, 
95 et seq., no 

Bonaparte, Pauline, see Princess Bor- 
ghese. 

Bonstettin, Baron, 131, 196 

Borghese, Princess, 54, 68, 71, 81, 87, 
92, 97, 163, 166, 172 

Bourne, Sylvanus, 27 

Brown, Mrs., 163, 181 et seq., 185 

Brown, Mr. and Mrs., 170 

Buchanan, James, 142 

Butler, Pierce, 217 

Byron, 133 et seq. 

Campan, Madam, 10 

Canning, Mr., 168 

Canova, 52 

Capadoce, Madame, 173 

Caramon, Mr. de, 49 

Carroll, Charles, 114, 169 et seq. 

Carroll, John, see Bishop of Baltimore. 

Caton family, 163, 168, 170 

Caton, Betsy, 169 

Caton, Louisa, marriage of, 210, and 

note. 
Caton, Mary, 192 
Caton, Mrs., 174, 210 
Chase, Hon. Samuel, 6 
Chateaubriand, 51 
Cholmondeley, Henry, 144 
Clagston, Miss, see Mrs. Astor. 



INDEX. 



273 



Clary, Mile. Desiree, 80 

Condague, Lady, 45 

Constant, Mme. Benjamin de, 247 

Dacres, M., 13, is 

Dallas, Alexander J., 8 

Dallas, Mrs., 171 

Demidoff, Count Anatole, 249 

Demidoff, Prince, 53 ; death of, 209 

Denon, M. , 117 

Devereux, Gen., 162, 168, 241 

Dixon, Mr., jy 

Donegal, Marchioness of, 29 

Donnell, James, 182 

Donnell, William, 217 

Dorsey, Mr., 113 

Dundas, Hon. Mr., anecdote of, 239 

Duras, Duchess de, 52 

Edgeworth, Miss, 131 
Evans, Mrs., 172 

Fabri, Miss, 116 

Falkener, Sir Arthur and Lady 
Brooke, 44, 48 

Ferris, Mrs., 162 

Fesch, Cardinal, 89 et seq., 231, 246 
et seq. 

Forman, William, 171 

Forman, Mrs.. 186 

Fourke, Sir Frederick, 171 

Fredericka Catharina, Princess, mar- 
ried to Jerome Bonaparte, 38 

Galatin family, 135, 146 
Galatin, Mr., 135, 142, 184 
Galatin, Mrs., 105 et seq., 135 et seq, 

202 
Galatin, Frances, 139, 143 
Galitzin, Princess, 53, 233, 235, 238 
Gamier, Dr., 30 
Gautier, Theophile, 249 
Genlis, Madame de, 117, 172 
Gibbs, Mr., 168 

Gilmor, Robert, 39, 44, 65 et seq. 
Gillespie, Dr., 95 
Glennie, Mrs., 49 
Gortschakoff, Prince, 76, 233 



Greenwood, Mrs., 161 
Guiccioli, Countess, 240 

Harper, Mr., 62, 88 
Hocquard, Countess, 168, 170, 177 
Houchin, Madame d', 173 
Howard, Mrs. John Eager, 263 
Hughes, Mr. and Mrs., 167, 181 et 

seq. 
Humboldt, 52 

Jarvis, Mr., 123 
Jenet, M., 10 
Junot, Minister, 25 
Junot, Madame, see Abrantes, Duch- 
ess d'. 

Kent, Duke of, 53 

La Chatre, Count, 47 

Lafayette, 157, 166 et seq., 171 

Lamartine, M. de, 117, 233 

Le Camus, Alexander, 8, 29 

Leeds, Duke of, opposed his son's 

marriage with Miss Caton, 211 
Letters. 

Madame Jerome Bonaparte to— 
Robert Gilmor, Sept. 30, 1807, 40 
Princess Borghese, March 25, 

1820, 58 
Robert Gilmor, April 22, 1820, 66 
J. N. B., March 8, 1822, 95 
Lady Morgan, 159 ; Nov. 28, 1825, 
172 ; Sept. 22, 1839, 246 ; March 
14, 1849, 252 
A friend in Baltimore, March 30, 

1832, 237 
Her agent in Baltimore, July 13, 

1840, 248 
Wm. Patterson, Aug. 14, 1805, 
28 ; Aug. 22, 1815, 41 ; Sept. 2, 
18 15, 42; Sept. 23, 1815, 47; 
Feb. 22, 1816, 52 ; April 10, 

1820, 54 ; April 25, 1820, 62 ; 
May 8, 1820, 68 ; June 23, i820 ; 
71 ; May 22, 1821, 74 ; Sept. 19, 

1821, 77 ; Oct. 16, 1821, 78 ; Nov. 



274 



INDEX. 



28, 1821, 81 ; Dec. 21, 1821, 84; 
Jan. 8, 1822, 87 ; Jan.30^1822, 
90; March 8, 1822, 96;. June 
19, 1822, 99 ; July 7, 1822, 101 ; 
July 10, 1822, 104 ; Aug. 3, 1822, 
105 ; Sept. 15, 1822, in ; Oct. 15, 

1822, 112; Dec. 11, 1822, 113; 
Dec. 24, 1822, 114 ; Feb. 5, 1823, 
122 ; Feb. 14, 1823, 124 ; Feb. 15, 

1823, 127 ; May 6, 1823, 135 ; 
May 22, 1823, 140 ; June 22, 1823, 
143 ; July 12, 1823, 144 ; Nov. 
9, 1823, 145; Dec. 11, 1823, 149 ; 
Dec. 13, 1823, 151 ; Sept. 23, 

1824, 157 ; June 4, 1825, 161 ; 
July 10, 1825, 162; Oct. 6, 1825, 
167; Nov. 2, 1825, 169 ; Jan. 23, 
1826, 174; Feb. 21, 1826, 176; 
May 21, 1826, 181 ; July 19, 
1826, 184; Oct. 6, 1826, 187; 
Nov. 28, 1826, 191 ; Dec. 18, 
1826, 193 ; Dec. 20, 1826, 194 ; 
Feb. 12, 1827, 201 ; June 4, 1827, 
206 ; May 30, 1828, 209 ; Dec. 4, 

1829, 218 ; Jan. 27, 1830, 223 ; 
April 26, 1830, 224 ; Dec. 22, 

1830, 226 ; Sept. 24, 1831, 233 ; 
Oct. 10, 1833, 240 

Jerome Bonaparte to — 

Mad. Jerome Bonaparte, 35 
J. N. B., March 6, 1826, 178 ; Dec. 
1, 1829, 214; Jan., 1831, 229 
William Patterson to — 

Hon. R. R. Livingston, Feb. 10, 

1804, 9 
Mad. Jerome Bonaparte, Nov. 16, 
1815, 46; Dec. 13, 1815, 50; 
Mar. 10, 1834, 242 
Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, 

Aug. 14, 1825, 164 
Mad. Toussard, March 2, 1822, 94 
Napoleon I. to — 

Pius VII., May 24, 1805, 31 
Napoleon III. to — 

Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, 
Feb. 9, 1853, 254 ; July 25, 1854, 
256 



Joseph Bonaparte to — 
Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, 
April 10, 1829, 213, 215 
Mr. John Jacob Astor to — 
Madame Jerome Bonaparte, April 
23, 1820, 60 
Pius VII. to— 

Napoleon, June 26,1805, 33 
Charlotte Bonaparte to — 

Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, 217 
Louis Bonaparte to — 

Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, 231 
Madame Bonaparte (Mere) to — 
Joseph Bonaparte, Jan, 25, 1822, 

107 
Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, 
Sept. 26, 1826, 186 ; Jan. 8, 1831, 
230 
Livingston, Hon. Robert R., 9 
Lovel, Mr., 206, 208 
Louis XVIII., 51 

McElhiney, Mr., 44, 46 

Mansfield, Mrs., 49, 167 

Mansfield, Mr., 49 et seq. , 167 

Monk, Mr., 190 et seq. 

Monroe, James, 30 

Monroe, Miss, 10 

Moore, Tom, 118 

Morgan, Sir Charles, 70, 248 

Morgan, Lady, 68 et seq., 118. See 

also Letters 
Morris, Commodore, 167 
Morris, Robert, 142 
Murat, Achille, no 
Murat, Joachim, no 
Murat, Madame, 83, no, 142 

Napoleon I., his orders to Jerome 
after his marriage, 13 et seq. ; 
crowned emperor, etc. , 24 ; ap- 
peals to the Pope, 31 ; referred to, 
73' I 33 I speaks to Bertrand of 
Mme. Bonaparte, 265 

Napoleon III. (see also Bonaparte, 
Louis Napoleon), Emperor of the 
French, 254 



INDEX. 



275 



Napoleon, Prince Jerome (called 
Prince Napoleon), 257 ; chief lega- 
tee of his father, 258 

Nicholas, Col. J. Spear, 217 

Normanby, Lord, made Governor of 
Jamaica, 238 

Normanby, Lady, 238 

O'Beirne, Mr. and Mrs., 170 
O'Donnell, John, 29 
Oliver, Emily, 168 
Oliver, Mr., 285, 203 
Outil, Madame d', 162 

Packard family, 95 

Palmer, Mr., 161 

Patterson family, the, 1 

Patterson, Edward, 47, 89, 162, 167, 

170, 220, 222 
Patterson, Elizabeth, see Madame 

Jerome Bonaparte. 
Patterson, George, 45, 92 
Patterson, Henry, 92, 158 
Patterson, Mrs. Robert, 114, 169 
Patterson, Robert, 10 et seq. , 29 
Patterson, William, early history of, 

1 et seq. ; death of, 244 ; his will, 

244. 245 
Patterson, William, Jr., 114, 193 et 

seq. 
Pascault, Miss, see Reubel, Mad. 
Payne, Mrs., 145, 163 
Peoples, Elizabeth, mother of William 

Patterson, 1 
Pichon, M., 13, 14 
Pictet, Professor, 131 
Pitt, Mr., 28 
Pius VII. refuses to annul Jerome 

Bonaparte's marriage, 32, 86 
Posse, Countess de, daughter of Lu- 

cien Bonaparte, 168 
Potempkin, Princess, 53 et seq, in 
Purviance, Mr., 137 

Raoul, Col., 62, 72 
Reid, Mr., 163, 176 



Reubel, Madame, 182 
Reub-1, Mile., 241 
Rochefoucauld, Mad., 117 
Rogers, Lloyd, 168 
Rubel, Mr., 49 
Rumph, Mr., 176 
Russell, Mr., 55, 59 

Sainte-Beuve, 249 

St. Criq, Count de, 139 

Schimmelpenninck, 27 

Scott, Walter, 152 

Sheldon, Mr., 144 et seq. 

Sherlock, Mrs., 113, 202 

Sismondi, Madame, 152 

Sismondi, M., 52, 131, 137 

Smith, Gen., 114, 142 

Somerville, Mr., 167 

Sotin, M., 8 

Spear, Dorcas, wife of Wm. Patter 
son, 4 

Spear, Mies, aunt of Mme. Bonaparte, 
21, 30, 62, 76, 88, in, 114, 125, 
140, 143 et seq., 159, 177, 190, 211, 
220, 223 

Stael, Madame de, 51 

Steele, Mr., 152 

Stewart, Commodore, 55, 59 

Strangford, Lord, 47 

Stuart, Gilbert, his portrait of Ma- 
dame Bonaparte, 39, 88, 183, 204 

Suard, M., 119 

Suard, Madame, 173 

Survilliers, Count de, see Bonaparte, 
Joseph. 

Svertzkoff, Mr., Russian minister at 
Florence, 208 

Talleyrand, M. de, 51, 76 

Taylor, Lem., 142 

Thompson, Hugh, 203 

Tiernan, Charles, 2B7 

Tonsall, Count, 47 

Toussard, Mrs., 75, 88, 95, 101, no, 

113, 145, 161 et seq., 182, 211 
Trivin, Gen. , 45 
Turreau, Gen., 9, 29 



276 



INDEX. 



Vanderhope, Mr., 77, 79 

Villette, Marchioness de, 106, 131, 144 

Warden, Mr., 173 

Warder, Mr., 247 

Webb, Mr., 96 

Weis, Mrs., 95 

Wellington, Duke of,5i, 119, 169 et seq. 

Wellesley, Marquis of, 169 et seq,, 174 

et seq. 
Westphalia, King of, see Jerome 

Bonaparte. 
Westphalia, Queen of, 68 et seq. , 72, 

76 



Whitfield, James, Archbishop of Bal- 
timore, 216 

Williams, Susan May, married to 
Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, 216 

Willis, Byrd, no 

Wilmot, Lady, 66 

Wilmot, Mr., 65 

Wilmot, Sir Robert, 65, 66 

Wilson, Miss Harriet, 173 

Wright, Miss, 172 

Wiirtemberg, the Prince of, 76, 137 

Wyse, Lieut. Lucien Napoleon Bona- 
parte, 91 

Wyse, Hon. Thomas, 91 



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and a roamer of the woods. The book is full of the flavor of nature, like 
those of Thoreau and John Burroughs." — Hartford Courant. 

" The entire book is charming, and we cordially recommend it to 
readers generally, whether they are interested in Archery or not, certain 
that they will find an enjoyable freshness about it that would have been 
a severe loss to have missed." — Peoria Call. 

" Mr. Thompson is a devoted disciple of the bow, and he writes with 
a freshness and enthusiasm that are contagious." — Cincinnati Times. 

"Maurice Thompson's graphic articles will delight the lovers of 
Archery, which ancient sport finds new life and freshness under the 
vigorous touches of his pen." — New York Tribune. 

" Mr. Thompson, knight of the bow and quiver, with the help of many 
graceful pictures, charms us with his dissertations upon his old-time sport." 

— New \ork Churchman, 



%* The above book for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent, post or express 
charges paid, upon receipt of the price by the publishers, 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 

743 and 745 Broadway, New Yokjc 



"Two as interesting and valuable books of travel as have 
been published in this country." New York Express. 

Br. Field's Travels Mound the World. 



i. 

from the lakes of killarney to the 

g olden hor n. 

II. 
FROM EGYPT TO JAPAN. 



By HENRY M. FIELD, D.D., Editor of the N. Y. Evangelist. 

Each 1 vol, 12mo. Cloth, gilt top, uniform in style, $2. 

CRITICAL NOTICES. 

By George Ripley, LL.D,, in the New York Tribune, 

Few recent travellers combine so many qualities that are adapted to command the 
interest and sympathy of the public. While he indulges, to its fullest extent, the charac- 
teristic American curiosity with regard to foreign lands, insisting on seeing every object 
of interest with his own eyes, shrinking from no peril or difficulty in pursuit of infor- 
mation — climbing mountains, descending mines, exploring pyramids, with no sense of 
satiety or weariness, he has also made a faithful study of the highest authorities on 
the different subjects of his narrative, thus giving solidity and depth to his descriptions, 
without sacrificing their facility or grace. 

From the New York Observer. 

The present volume comprises by far the most novel, romantic, and interesting part 
of the Journey [Round the World], and the story of it is told and the scenes are painted 
by the hand of a master of the pen. Dr. Field is a veteran traveller ; he knows well 
what to see, and (which is still more important to the reader) he knows well what to 
describe and how to do it. 

By Chas. Dudley Warner, in the Hartford Courant. 

It is thoroughly entertaining; the reader's interest is never allowed to flag; the 
author carries us forward from land to land with uncommon vivacity, enlivens the way 
with a good humor, a careful observation, and treats all peoples with a refreshing liberality. 

From Rev. Dr. R. S. Storrs. 

It is indeed a charming book — full of fresh information, picturesque description, and 
thoughtful studies of men, countries, and civilizations. 

From Prof. Roswell D. Hitchcock, D.D. 

In this second volume, Dr. Field, I think, has surpassed himself in the first, and 
this is saying a good deal. In both volumes the editorial instinct and habit are conspic- 
uous. Dr. Prime has said that an editor should have six senses, the sixth being 
" a sense of the interesting.'''' Dr. Field has this to perfection. * * * 

From the New York Herald. 

It would be impossible by extracts to convey an adequate idea of the variety, 
abundance, or picturesque freshness of these sketches of travel, without copying a great 
part of the book. 

Rev. Wm. M. Taylor, D.D., in the Christian at Work. 

Dr. Field has an eye, if we may use a photographic illustration, with a great deal of 
collodion in it, so that he sees very clearly. He knows also how to describe just those 
things in the different places visited by him which an intelligent man wants to know 
about. 

*#* The above books for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent, post or express 
charges paid, upon receipt of the price by the publishers. 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 

743 and 745 Broadway, New York 



•"The best, original novel that has appeared in this country for many 
years." — Phil. Press. 

THAT LASS 0' LOWRIE'S. 

By FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT. 



PRESS NOTICES. 



" The publication of a story like 'That Lass o' Lowrie's' is a red-letter day in the 
world of literature." — N. Y. Herald. 

" We know of no more powerful work from a woman's hand in the English language, 
not even excepting the best of George Eliot's." — Boston Transcript. 

"It creates a sensation among book readers." — Hartford Times. 

"The novel is one of the very best of recent fictions, and the novelist is hereafter a 
person of rank and consideration in letters" — Hartford Courant. 

"The author might have named her book 'Joan Lowrie, Lady,' and it is worthy a 
place in the family library beside Miss Muloch's, 'John Halifax, Gentleman,' and 
George Eliot's 'Adam Bede.' " — Boston Watchman. 

"The story is one of mark, and let none of our readers, who enjoy the truest artistic 
work, overlook it." — Congregationalist. 

" Unlike most of the current works of fiction, this novel is a study. It cannot be sifted 
at a glance, nor fully understood at a single reading, so fruitful and comprehensive is its 
word and character painting." — Boston Post. 



Price, Paper Covers, 90 cents; or, $1.50 Extra Cloth. 



SURLY TIM, AND OTHER STORIES 

By the Author of " That Lass 0' Lo7vrie's." 
One volume, small i2mo. Cloth extra, .... $1.25. 



The volume includes eight of Mrs. Burnett's shorter stories, which have 
appeared in the magazines during the last few years. It is needless to say 
that these have been among the most popular tales that have lately been 
written. Sm-ly Tim (told in Lancashire dialect), which gives the title 
to the book, is perhaps better known than any short story yet published 
in Scribner's. 

CRITICAL NOTICES. 

"They are powerful and pathetic stories, and will touch the sympathies of all readers." 
—The Commonwealth, Boston. 

" A good service has been rendered to all lovers of good fiction by the publication of 
these stories in this permanent form." — The Evening Mail. 



%* The above books for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent, post or exfresi 
tharges paid, upon receipt of the price by the publishers, 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 

743 and 745 Broadway, New York. 



DR. EG-G-L" iSTON'S "MTSW STORY. 

"One of the ablest of recent American no'-ls, and indeed of all 
recent works of fiction."— London Spectator. 



ROXY. 



EDWARD EGGLESTON, 

Author of "The Hoosier Schoolmaster." "Circuit Rider," Etc. 



One volume, 12mo, cloth, with Twelve full-page Illustration* 

from original designs by Mr. Walter Shirlaw. 

Price, . . . $1.60. 



CRITICAL NOTICES. 



" ' Roxy ' may be accepted as the latest example of a purely American novel, and to 
say the least, one of the very best." — New York Tribune. 

" In this novel Mr. Eggleston's powers appear at their best and amplest, and he has 
accomplished the by no means easy task of excelling himself." — Boston Journal. 

"There can be no doubt whatever that ' Roxy' is the best product of Dr. Eggleston's 
activity in the field of fiction." — New York Eve. Post. 

"As a pure, but vigorous American romance, Mr. Eggleston's new work is better 
even than his ' Hoosier Schoolmaster ' and ' Circuit Rider.' " — Phila. Eve. Bulletin. 

" It strengthens the author's position as a writer who has brought new life and a 
decided manliness into our native fiction." — Boston Courier. 

" ' Roxy,' a story whose purport and power are much deeper than the author has 
before reached. 1 ' — Spring field Republican. 

"The story is powerfully told, and if Mr. Eggleston had written nothing else, 'Roxy* 
would place him in a foremost position among American authors." — N. Y. Commercial 
Advertiser. 

" Its pictures of Western life are vivid, and throughout betray the hand of a master 
in literature and fiction." — Episcopal Register. 

" As a faithful picture of American life, it ranks far above any novel published in the 
United States during the past twenty years." — Brooklyn Times. 

"We advise our readers to buy and read 'Roxy. 1 They will find the plot deeply 
Interesting, and will gather from it not only transient pleasure, but permanent good." — 
Louisville Post. 

"The story of 'Roxy' is Dr. Eggleston's best work. It attains a higher merit than 
his other works in epic purpose as well as a dramatic form. 1 ' — The Methodist. 

"Buy the book and read it, as it is well worth the time spent to do it." — Washington 
Chronicle. 



%* The above book for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent, post or exjres* 
charges prid, upon receipt of the price by the publishers, 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 

743 and 745 Broadway, New York. 



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